<P> My Name Is Red received favourable reviews when published in English . A reviewer for Publishers Weekly admires the novel's "...jeweled prose and alluring digressions, nesting stories within stories" and concludes that Pamuk will gain many new readers with this "...accessible, charming and intellectually satisfying, narrative ." A Kirkus Reviews critic describes the novel as "...a whimsical but provocative exploration of the nature of art in an Islamic society...A rich feast of ideas, images, and lore ." Jonathan Levi, writing in the L.A. Times Book Review, comments that "...it is Pamuk's rendering of the intense life of artists negotiating the devilishly sharp edge of Islam 1,000 years after its birth that elevates My Name Is Red to the rank of modern classic ." Levi also notes that the novel, although set four hundred years ago, reflects modern societal tensions . For this reason he calls it "...a novel of our time .' ' </P> <P> In The New York Times, Richard Eder describes Pamuk's intense interest in East - West interactions and explains some of the metaphysical ideas that permeate the novel . He also comments that the novel is not just about ideas: "Eastern or Western, good or bad, ideas precipitate once they sink to human level, unleashing passions and violence .' Red' is chockfull of sublimity and sin ." Eder also praises the characterization of Shekure, which he regards as the finest in the book . She is "...elusive, changeable, enigmatic and immensely beguiling ." Eder concludes: "They (readers) will...be lofted by the paradoxical lightness and gaiety of the writing, by the wonderfully winding talk perpetually about to turn a corner, and by the stubborn humanity in the characters' maneuvers to survive . It is a humanity whose lies and silences emerge as endearing and oddly bracing individual truths". </P> <P> Erdağ M. Göknar's translation of My Name Is Red gained Pamuk international recognition and contributed to his selection as Nobel laureate; upon publication, Pamuk was described as a serious Nobel contender . The translation received praise from many reviewers including John Updike in The New Yorker: "Erdağ M. Göknar deserves praise for the cool, smooth English in which he has rendered Pamuk's finespun sentences, passionate art appreciations, sly pedantic debates, (and) eerie urban scenes ." Many readers and critics consider My Name Is Red to be Pamuk's best work in English translation . </P> <P> It won the IMPAC award in Dublin in 2003, where Göknar accepted the award on behalf of Pamuk . As is customary with this award, Göknar received a quarter share of the prize . </P>

Who is the murderer in my name is red