My Name is Red

Black tells us that he has returned to Istanbul after 12 years. While away from his home, Black collected taxes and worked as a secretary for pashas. He never, though, forgot his childhood love—his cousin Shekure. Walking the streets, Black relates that his uncle has invited him back to help prepare a secret book for the Sultan. Despite his hope of reuniting with his uncle and cousin, Black has concerns. Many of his family members died during his absence and he finds the city changed. No longer is Istanbul home to affluent families and bountiful markets. Instead, its currency has lost value, and many citizens are destitute and engaged in behaviors deemed irreligious. Black enters a coffeehouse to hear a storyteller narrate a tale in the voice of a dog.

The dog explains that despite finding joy in biting humans, he is more logical than people and can talk. He tells his audience a story about a cleric. This cleric, gifted with an incredible ability to inspire listeners to cry, explained that the current problems of plague, military defeat, and poverty are caused by people “forgetting the Islam of the time of our Glorious Prophet and falling away to falsehoods” (11), such as men dressing as women, drinking coffee, singing, and accepting dervishes.

Although the dog recognizes that most religious Islamic leaders hate dogs, this belief is wrong. Relating that a chapter of the Quran mentions a dog that slept at the mouth of a cave, the dog argues that dogs are not impure, but instead truthful beasts. Indeed, what most upsets the dog is the cleric’s “attacks upon our coffeehouses” (13), which are important spaces for sharing life.

The dog also explains that the Sultan’s daughter owns a dog, which she dresses in “a red silk dress” (14), thereby mimicking the European treatment of dogs. According to the dog, all European dogs wear clothing, are domesticated, and have owners, while the dogs of Istanbul roam in freedom. Yet, while the dog advocates for the better treatment of dogs, he does remind his audience that he used to assist a thief who boiled his victim’s flesh and fed the meat to the dog.

The unnamed murderer believes he had no choice but to kill his friend Elegant to protect “the entire society of miniaturists” (15). Nevertheless, the murderer remains restless and wanders the streets of Istanbul, haunted by the sounds of people and fearful that someone will raid his home or identify him as a killer. He fears that he carried out the murder in a style that is recognizable. Thus, he returns to the crime scene each evening to make sure no distinctive sign is evident. As snow covers the area, the murderer assumes Allah is protecting him and condoning his actions.

Finally, the murderer relates the events on the night of the murder. Telling Elegant that he’s buried money near a well, the murderer leads his victim to a deserted spot in the city. Believing that Elegant will tell the community about the Western style of art within the secret book, resulting in accusations of heresy, the murderer decides to kill Elegant. After showing Elegant a sketch of a horse made from his imagination, the murderer explains that traditional Muslim artists sketch horses not as humans see them, but as Allah sees them. Furthermore, the murderer implies that his illustrations are done at the request of the Sultan, who is behind the book project. Elegant, though, maintains that miniaturists have a moral responsibility to follow Allah’s commands. When Elegant begins to dig for the money the murderer has promised, the murderer grabs a stone and bashes in Elegant’s head.