'The White Castle' by Orhan Pamuk

We'll be discussing 'The White Castle' by Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, recipient of the Nobel Prize in 2006. The novel was published in 1985.

As described by the publisher: A young Italian scholar in the 17th century sailing from Venice to Naples is taken prisoner and delivered to Constantinople. There he falls into the custody of a scholar known as Hoja—"master"—a man who is his exact double. In the years that follow, the slave instructs his master in Western science and technology, from medicine to pyrotechnics. But Hoja wants to know more: why he and his captive are the persons they are and whether, given knowledge of each other's most intimate secrets, they could actually exchange identities. Set in a world of magnificent scholarship and terrifying savagery, The White Castle is a colorful and intricately patterned triumph of the imagination.

As a special winter/Christmas edition, we will be doing a book swap as well following the Yankee swap rules. This means that everyone brings a wrapped book (preferably second-hand, like something you have at home) as an exchange gift which will be put at the center of the table. Then everyone gets assigned a number randomly. The lower number starts, picking up any book from the pile. Number 2 can decide to steal that book of pick up another wrapped book from the pile. Number 3 same as number 2, and so on until everyone has a book. In the end, there's also the option of exchanging books with each other so most people are happy with what they got. Note: the book is a gift, so it's not returned to the person who brought it.

There's a limited amount of attendants as to keep the conversation manageable. If you're on the waiting list and want to know whether you'll be able to make it in the end, please contact the host directly.