“My Name is Red” is a philosophical murder mystery set in 16th century Istanbul. It uses the art of Persian miniature and the role of a miniaturist to discuss the threat of impending Westernization on Ottoman art. A novel of doubles, puns, riddles and talking paintings (“I don’t want to be a tree, I want to be its meaning”, says a painting at one point), this is stylishly rendered story is so full of complexities, evocative descriptions, lists and colours that it is a work of art in itself.
Preet Reads. 