Istanbul : Memories Of A City | Orhan Pamuk | Kharidobechobooks

Istanbul: Memories of a City is an exquisite blend of a deeply personal memoir and a rich cultural history written by Turkey's foremost man of letters and Nobel laureate, Orhan Pamuk.
 Born in Istanbul, Pamuk details growing up within his family's apartment building, tracking his journey from a child with a dawning self-consciousness into a dedicated painter and writer.

 Central to the book is the concept of hüzün—a unique, collective melancholy shared by the citizens of Istanbul. It represents the communal sadness that stems from living amidst the literal and historical ruins of a lost, grand Ottoman Empire.

Through cinematic prose, Pamuk leads the reader past decaying imperial villas, down back streets, and along the bustling Bosphorus waterway. He weaves his family's eccentric secrets together with the stories of local writers, artists, and historical figures to create a definitive biography of a place that mirrors his own identity.