In 2005 Orhan Pamuk was charged with insulting Turkishness under Article 301-1 of the Turkish penal code. Eighteen months later he was awarded the Nobel Prize. After decades of criticism for wielding a depoliticized pen, Pamuk was cast as a dissident through his trial, an event that underscored his transformation from national literateur to global author. This book examines the literary politics of Orhan Pamuk's novels within the framework of contestations over Turkishness, Islam, and secularization. This is not a traditional study of literature, but a book that turns to literature to ask larger questions about Turkish history, identity, collective memory, and cultural practice. It concludes with an interview with Orhan Pamuk.