Two books

I have just finished reading Run by Anne Patchett. It is wonderful and a great way to begin reading Patchett if you are not already familiar with her work. She has written Bel Canto, and Truth and Beauty, as well as several other novels.

Patchett's books are rich with literary references and contemporary politics. There is a warmth and spirituality about her work which she attributes to her Catholic upbringing. She mixes family and politics well. She is a current female American author who deserves your attention.

I am just opening Other Colors by Orhan Pamuk. I am a committed Pamuk fan. Having read My Name is Red, The Black Book and Snow, I trembled with delight when I saw the title of this compilation of essays. Yes, I want all the colours! Here is an excerpt from an essay on his meeting Harold Pinter and Arthur Miller in 1985 when they came to Turkey to advocate for the many authors in prison at that time.

But to respect the human rights of minorities, and to respect their humanity, is not to suggest that we should accommodate all manner of belief or tolerate those who attack or seek to limit freedom of thought in deference to the moral codes of those minorities. Some of us have a better understanding of the West, some of us have more affection for those who live in the East, and some, like me, try to do the two things at the same time, but these attachments, this desire to understand, should never get in the way of our respect for human rights. page 181