A Quote by Mehmed the Conqueror
Either I conquer Istanbul or Istanbul conquers me.
Related Quotes
When I decided to write a novel about Istanbul, I thought I should put the different faces of Istanbul into one book. I also put the characters in a cell, and it's three stories underground, rather than on the surface. The characters have one Istanbul, the other one is above ground. One is in dark, one is in light. That kind of contradiction - those opposite sides - creates a great energy in Istanbul.
I came across humanity in Istanbul, and all I know about life comes from Istanbul, and definitely, I am writing about Istanbul. I also love the city because I live there, it has formed me, and it's me. Of course it is natural. If somebody lived all his life in Delhi, he will write about Delhi.
Istanbul is divided by time, not space. The first Istanbul is the Istanbul of the past. A long time ago, during the empire, it was beautiful, it was the glorious time of our nation, people say. Then, when they talk about today, they complain about it: It's very melancholic, it's very stressful. We've lost our golden age in the past, and now we're living in our dark era.
When the whole world reads your books, is there any other happiness for a writer? I am happy that my books are read in 57 languages. But I am focused on Istanbul not because of Istanbul but because of humanity. Everyone is the same in the end.
Culture is mix. Culture means a mix of things from other sources. And my town, Istanbul, was this kind of mix. Istanbul, in fact, and my work, is a testimony to the fact that East and West combine cultural gracefully, or sometimes in an anarchic way, came together, and that is what we should search for.
The way I wrote it is a nice and enjoyable way to write stories, to pretend to say something when you're really saying something else. "Hey guys, come, I'll take you a football match." They all come - and you suddenly take them to watch theater play on the stage instead. In Istanbul Istanbul, I pretend to talk about torture and politics, but I don't actually. Instead I talk about hope and hopelessness, darkness and light, good and evil, love and separation.
Holy Istanbul! Your name is the most enchanting one of all names which enchants me.
I really enjoyed my first Istanbul derby.
I found that the loudest fans in the world are in Istanbul.
Istanbul these days has as much dynamism as New York.
If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.
There's different shopping in Paris than there is at a bazaar in Istanbul, but they're all wonderful.
I have been on dialysis in Istanbul, Milan, Indonesia, Manila, London. It's - it's amazing.
Istanbul ... the constant beating of the wave of the East against the rock of the West.
I love visiting churches and I think I've visited every mosque in Istanbul.
As a Liverpool fan, I'm an eternal optimist because of what we did in Istanbul in 2005.
