I need a moment of time for myself every day, like a child playing with his things. When I travel, I routinely find a quiet place, open my diary and write something in it. Orhan Pamuk More Quotes by Orhan Pamuk More Quotes From Orhan Pamuk In his brilliant new book Pankaj Mishra reverses the long gaze of the West upon the East, showing modern history as it has been felt by the majority of the world's population from Turkey to China. These are the amazing stories of the grandfathers of today's angry Asians. Excellent! Orhan Pamuk turkeys long book Nothing changed in my life since I work all the time," Pamuk said then. "I've spent 30 years writing fiction. For the first 10 years I worried about money and no one asked me how much money I made. The second decade I spent money and no one was asking me about that. And I've spent the last 10 years with everyone expecting to hear how I spend the money, which I will not do. Orhan Pamuk writing fiction years National consciousness is truly a miraculous thing. When I am not in Turkey I feel even more Turkish than in Istanbul. But when I'm home my European side becomes more apparent. Orhan Pamuk istanbul turkeys home When you love a city and have explored it frequently on foot, your body, not to mention your soul, gets to know the streets so well after a number of years that in a fit of melancholy, perhaps stirred by a light snow falling ever so sorrowfully, you'll discover your legs carrying you of their own accord toward one of your favourite promontories Orhan Pamuk light years fall Istanbul is certainly in the process of transforming itself into an attractive cultural, tourist and financial center. But there are also millions of sad stories in this giant sea of immigration, poverty, misery and contradictions. So much anger, frustration and fury. Orhan Pamuk istanbul frustration sea I have hired a bodyguard, on the recommendation of my friends and the government. It's outrageous, having to live like this. Orhan Pamuk recommendations bodyguard government Morality is probably the last thing one can learn from football. Orhan Pamuk morality lasts football Enjoyment of football is part of the social context, and I have lost my faith in this social context. Orhan Pamuk social lost football My childhood proved to me that there could be no enjoyment of football without community. But it becomes difficult when this community is having problems with its identity. That's when we experience all possible forms of nationalist exaggeration. Orhan Pamuk childhood community football Nationalism stems from catastrophes, whether they are caused by earthquakes or lost wars. Orhan Pamuk lost earthquakes war I really don't want to portray the Islamists as simply evil, the way it's often done in the west. Orhan Pamuk done evil want In fact, my entire childhood consisted of looking at photographs in which the viewer sees the ball behind the line, looking through the goal net, and the poor goalkeeper in front of the net. Orhan Pamuk childhood balls goal The image that I remember most of all is of the Fenerbahçe players storming into the stadium before kickoff. They were called the canaries because of their yellow jerseys. It was as if they, like canaries, were fluttering into the stadium out of a hole. I loved it. It was poetry. Orhan Pamuk jersey player yellow It's such a shame that we know so little about our own country, that we can't find it in our hearts to love our own kind. Instead we admire those who show our country disrespect and betray its people. Orhan Pamuk heart country people In actuality, we don't look for smiles in pictures of bliss, but rather, for the happiness in life itself. Painters know this, but this is preciously what they cannot depict. That's why they substitute the joy of seeing for the joy of life. Orhan Pamuk bliss joy looks Actually, it's the other way round. In a poor country, the only consolation people can have is the one that comes from their beliefs. Orhan Pamuk country people way I hope the leaders of the EU when they are shaking hands with Turkish leaders ... would also occasionally talk about free speech. Orhan Pamuk world A museum should not just be a place for fancy paintings but should be a place where we can communicate our lives through our everyday objects. Orhan Pamuk museum through place just The habit of collecting, of attachment to things, is an essential human trait. But Western civilization put collecting on a pedestal by inventing museums. Museums are about representing power. It could be the king's power or, later, people's power. Orhan Pamuk king habit power people I write a world where everyone is partly right. Orhan Pamuk right everyone write world