Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952 to a well-to-do upper middle-class family whose members were once involved in international commerce and business. He grew up in the Nişantaşi district which serves as the setting for some of his novels, including
Cevdet Bey and His Sons,
The Black Book, and
The Museum of Innocence.Pamuk graduated from Istanbul’s elite high school, Robert College, with aspirations to become a painter. However, he enrolled in Istanbul Technical University’s School of Architecture, only to admit, in his third year, that neither architecture, nor painting is suitable for him. He left the Technical University for the School of Journalism. At the age of 23, having realized that his primary interest lies in literature, he dedicated himself solely to writing.…
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Citation: Anadolu-Okur, Nilgun. "Orhan Pamuk". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 June 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5712, accessed 21 November 2024.]