The Black Book

Galip is a lawyer living in Istanbul. His wife, the detective novel–loving Ruya, has disappeared. Could she have left him for her ex-husband or Celâl, a popular newspaper columnist? But Celâl, too, seems to have vanished. As Galip investigates, he finds himself assuming the enviable Celâl's identity, wearing his clothes, answering his phone calls, even writing his columns. Galip pursues every conceivable clue, but the nature of the mystery keeps changing, and when he receives a death threat, he begins to fear the worst.

With its cascade of beguiling stories about Istanbul, The Black Book is the cherished cult novel in which Orhan Pamuk found his original voice, but it has largely been neglected by English-language readers. Now, in Maureen Freely’s translation, English-language readers may encounter all its riches.

A brilliantly unconventional mystery of a missing wife, and a provocative meditation on identity.

Translation and afterword by Maureen Freely

Endorsements

From the Nobel Prize winner and acclaimed author of My Name Is Red.

“A glorious flight of dark, fantastic invention.” — The Washington Post