麻豆社

Orhan Pamuk talks, in an extended conversation with Philip Dodd, about his writing career and his views of modern Turkey. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 2006, his novels include The Black Book, Snow, My Name is Red and The Museum of Innocence - a book and a real building created by the author which earlier this year was awarded the European Museum of the Year award. There's also his nonfiction including the memoir Istanbul.

In this conversation, recorded earlier this year, he discusses the idea of division between the religious and the secular and division in a more personal, internalised way and he tackles the question of whether Turkey should join the European Union. Earlier this month the European Union's executive arm pressed for long-stalled membership talks with Turkey to begin again with negotiations over changes in two policy areas hampering the accession process - current Turkish policy on civil rights and judicial independence.

Producer: Neil Trevithick

First broadcast in April 2014.