Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1972)
1841.
Silent House by Orhan Pamuk EN
TurkeyDescription:
In an old mansion in Cennethisar, a former fishing village near Istanbul, an old widow Fatma awaits the annual summer visit of her grandchildren. She has lived in the village for decades, ever since her husband, an idealistic young doctor, first arrived to serve the poor fishermen. Now mostly bedridden, she is attended by her faithful servant Recep, a dwarf and the doctor's illegitimate son. Under the creeping shadow of right-wing nationalism and political revolution, they share memories, and grievances, of the early years, before their home became a high-class resort. Her visiting grandchildr... continue
1842.
Sweet Tooth and Other Stories by Serkan Görkemli EN
Description:
Queerness, labels, and allyship are central themes in this moving collection of stories set in Turkey, where Middle Eastern and Euro-American expressions of identity collide and naming one's orientation is a fraught endeavor. An eleven-year-old undergoes hand surgery that will allow him to wear a wedding ring in adulthood. Two college roommates reach an erotic understanding as they indulge in dessert. A sex worker meets an American same-sex marriage activist in the Aegean countryside. A passionate hookup during Istanbul Pride ends in teargas. Two friends' tempers flare over cold red wine on a ... continue
1843.
The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman EN
Description:
On an orange-tinted evening in September 1905, Scheherazade is born to an opium-dazed mother in the ancient city of Smyrna. At the very same moment, a dashing Indian spy arrives in the harbour with a secret mission from the British Empire. He sails in to golden-hued spires and minarets, scents of fig and sycamore, and the cries of street hawkers selling their wares. When he leaves, seventeen years later, it will be to the heavy smell of kerosene and smoke as the city, and its people, are engulfed in flames. But let us not rush, for much will happen between then and now. Birth, death, romance a... continue
1844.
Evil Eyes Sea by Ozge Samanci EN
Description:
This fictional graphic novel narrates a mystery story set in Istanbul before the 1995-96 elections. The story takes place against a background of political propaganda; a conservative party is rising to power using religion to appeal to voters cynically. The main protagonists, Ece and Meltem, are engineering students at Bosphorus University and in financial distress. Ece and Meltem fantasize about having the powerful gaze of Medusa and amuse themselves with efforts to move objects with their eyes. They also share a passion for scuba diving as members of the Student Diving Club. While on a divin... continue
1845.
Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk EN
Description:
From the Nobel Prize winner and acclaimed author of My Name is Red comes a portrait of Istanbul by its foremost writer, revealing the melancholy that comes of living amid the ruins of a lost empire. "Delightful, profound, marvelously origina.... Pamuk tells the story of the city through the eyes of memory." —The Washington Post Book World A shimmering evocation, by turns intimate and panoramic, of one of the world’s great cities, by its foremost writer. Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul and still lives in the family apartment building where his mother first held him in her arms. His portrait of... continue
1846.
Gregory of Nyssa : The Life of Moses by HarperCollins Spiritual Classics EN
Description:
St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-394 CE), who came from an illustrious Christian family of Capadocia, became bishop of the small town of Nyssa in 371 and is known as one of the founders of mystical theology in the Church. In The Life of Moses, one of the most important books in the study of Christian mysticism, Gregory retells the story of Moses's life from the biblical account in Exodus and Numbers and then refers back to these stories as the basis for profound spiritual lessons. The ultimate goal of Gregory's spirituality is to strive for infinite progress in the never-completed journey to God. His... continue
1847.
On Pascha : With the Fragments of Melito and Other Material Related to the Quartodecimans by Melito of Sardis EN
Description:
The Quartodecimans were early Christians who maintained the tradition derived from Judaism, and observed Pascha at the same time that the Jews observed Passover. In this work, Alistair Stewart, the leading authority on Melito and the Quartodecimans, presents a unique collection of material in a form ideal for classroom use as well as for the general reader. At the head of this newly revised collection stand the original Greek text and an updated translation. Alongside this is an extensive introduction and annotation pointing out not only the parallels to Jewish practice, but also offering an a... continue
1848.
Zăpada by Orhan Pamuk RO
Description:
Aparut in 2002, Zapada, romanul cu aer kafkian al lui Orhan Pamuk pare familiar cititorului pasionat. Zapada urmareste un moment din viata unui poet ce revine in inima framintata de umori si conflicte religioase a unui orasel turcesc de provincie. In Kars, totul a luat-o razna, iar locuitorii orasului sint ingroziti de valul de sinucideri ale unor tinere carora li s-a interzis sa poarte val in scoli. Ka revede fosti prieteni si isi reintilneste iubita, Ipek, a carei sora mai tinara este conducatoarea protestatarelor. Odata ce numarul personajelor creste, framintarile in micul oras capata propo... continue
1850.
A Strange Woman by Leylâ Erbil TR
Description:
The pioneering debut novel by one of Turkey's most radical female authors tells the story of an aspiring intellectual in a complex, modernizing country. In English at last: the first novel by a Turkish woman to ever be nominated for the Nobel. A Strange Woman is the story of Nermin, a young woman and aspiring poet growing up in Istanbul. Nermin frequents coffeehouses and underground readings, determined to immerse herself in the creative, anarchist youth culture of Turkey’s capital; however, she is regularly thwarted by her complicated relationship to her parents, members of the old guard who ... continue