For years, celebrated Turkish author and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk yearned to see his esteemed novel, “The Museum of Innocence,” brought to life on screen. However, his initial encounter with a television adaptation script six years ago was deeply unsettling. The proposed version took extensive liberties with his more than 500-page narrative, a tale of obsessive love set in 1970s and ’80s Istanbul, introducing plotlines he found entirely foreign to his original work.
Pamuk, alarmed by these significant changes, took legal action against the production company to regain control of his story. He vividly recounted the stressful period, “I had nightmares during that time, spending a considerable amount on legal fees and constantly worrying they might produce it as it was written.”
After winning the lawsuit in 2022, Pamuk embarked on a new collaboration with a Turkish producer. This time, he established strict conditions to safeguard his artistic integrity. Four years later, he is delighted with the result. “The Museum of Innocence,” a nine-part series, is set to launch on Netflix this Friday.
This streaming debut marks a significant milestone for the 73-year-old, Turkey’s most renowned novelist, whose extensive body of work—including fiction, memoirs, essays, and photography—has reached audiences worldwide through numerous translations. He was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006. The Netflix series is poised to further broaden the global reach of his storytelling.
Reflecting on the allure of adaptations, Pamuk admitted, “Of course, every novelist desires their work to become a film. Often, it’s driven by the prospect of financial gain or increased recognition, and I confess to sharing these motivations.”
In “The Museum of Innocence,” the protagonist Kemal meticulously collects objects from Fusun’s life, including thousands of cigarette butts, to display in a personal museum. This real-life museum houses the very same items, mirroring the novel’s narrative.
Pamuk’s life story is deeply interwoven with Istanbul. He was born into an affluent, secular family in Nisantasi, a fashionable district synonymous with the city’s European-leaning elite. Initially, he aspired to be a painter, even dropping out of architecture school before dedicating himself to writing. His novels delve into Turkey’s Ottoman past, its Western ambitions, and the intricate tensions arising between these influences. He is married to a hospital director and has a daughter from his first marriage, along with a granddaughter.
His literary renown grew with acclaimed novels such as “The Black Book,” “My Name is Red,” and “Snow.” In its commendation, the Nobel committee lauded his ability to uncover “new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures.” Pamuk frequently draws inspiration from Istanbul, populating his narratives with places from his own memories. Many of his characters inhabit, work, or even meet their end within a short distance of his childhood home.
He often expresses lament over the rapid transformation of his beloved city, mourning the loss of the old wooden houses replaced by generic apartment blocks and bustling commercial spaces. “It’s challenging to maintain affection for this place, this neighborhood, given how dramatically it has changed,” he remarked. A former corner shop, which he and one of his characters once frequented, is now a men’s clothing store, and his old secondary school has been supplanted by an unremarkable shopping mall. “It’s just a mall, a typical mall,” he noted, “nothing of interest.”
A page from a handwritten manuscript of “The Museum of Innocence” is exhibited at Pamuk’s namesake museum in Istanbul.
His 2008 novel, “The Museum of Innocence,” prominently features his old neighborhood. It meticulously details the life of Kemal, a bourgeois bachelor who becomes infatuated with Fusun, a younger, less affluent sales clerk. He dedicates years to elaborate schemes to stay close to her as his own life spirals. Kemal’s obsession manifests in collecting everyday items linked to Fusun—saltshakers, hairpins, coffee cups, shoes, a toothbrush, even 4,213 cigarette butts. Following the novel’s pivotal moment, he arranges these cherished relics in a museum, which gives the book its title.
The narrative extends beyond the book itself. In 2012, Pamuk established a physical Museum of Innocence in Istanbul, showcasing many of the actual objects described in the novel. He even penned a museum manifesto and a comprehensive catalog. In 2015, he was involved in a documentary exploring the related themes.
Driven to see a faithful screen adaptation, Pamuk entered a contract in 2019 with an unnamed “Hollywood production company.” However, their proposed vision included drastic deviations, like Kemal impregnating Fusun, which Pamuk found unacceptable. “Far too much alteration,” he asserted. “At that point, it ceases to be my book entirely.” It took two and a half years and substantial legal expenses to void that contract.
With the rights secured once more, he engaged with Ay Yapim, a Turkish production company, for the series. This time, Pamuk exercised meticulous control over every stage, much like his novel’s protagonist.
He notably waived an upfront payment and withheld signing the contract until the script was fully approved, preventing any unauthorized changes. He also insisted that the credits acknowledge both his book and his museum, a location for some of the filming. Furthermore, he mandated that there would be no second season, preserving the definitive ending of his story.
Pamuk consistently met with the scriptwriter and Ay Yapim head, Kerem Catay, carefully reviewing drafts of each episode and proposing revisions. Once the script was finalized, both Pamuk and Catay personally signed every page of all nine episodes. Pamuk then incorporated this signed script into the contract, solidifying his creative authority.
“Once the script was produced this way and we had the assurance that any deviation would lead to severe consequences, I felt completely at ease,” Pamuk quipped with a smile.
In an interview, Catay confirmed Pamuk’s extensive involvement, describing the scripting process as unprecedented in his 19 years in the industry, taking four years to complete. “Orhan Bey holds very high standards,” Catay noted, using a Turkish honorific. “It was quite a challenge for an author, a producer, and the original novelist to meticulously go through every single page.”
Reflecting on adaptations, Pamuk noted: “Of course every novelist wants his or her novel to be converted into a film. Most of the time, the motivation is either money or popularity, and I carry these vices.”
Catay recalled realizing two years into the project that no contract had yet been signed, meaning Pamuk could have withdrawn at any point, rendering their efforts futile. The production team recreated 1970s Nisantasi on set and cast Selahattin Pasali, a popular Turkish actor, as Kemal, alongside the emerging talent Eylül Kandemir as Fusun. Pamuk expressed hope for Kandemir’s future fame. The company also hired Zeynep Gunay, a female director, in line with Pamuk’s preference. Pamuk acknowledged past criticisms from Turkish feminists regarding his male-centric perspective in the novel. “Although I tried to avoid the common misconceptions or prejudices of Middle Eastern men, unfortunately I am a Middle Eastern man and I accept all feminist criticism completely,” he stated. He believed that having a female director enriched the portrayal of the heroine’s viewpoint.
After the series was finished, Pamuk watched all nine episodes, and Catay anxiously awaited his feedback. “He was incredibly happy,” Catay recounted. “He said he loved it.”
Actors Selahattin Pasali as Kemal and Eylül Kandemir as Fusun, the shopkeeper, in the Netflix series “The Museum of Innocence.”
Pamuk hopes the production will be recognized as a “distinguished film” and attract more visitors to his museum. The show was produced in Turkish and made accessible with English dubbing and subtitles, among other languages. The series also offered Pamuk an unexpected career first: his acting debut. In several scenes, he portrays himself as the renowned author Orhan Pamuk, to whom Kemal narrates his story. Pamuk, who downplayed his acting performance and expressed little enthusiasm for the launch festivities, remarked, “You can’t really call it acting because I’m just playing myself.” When asked about Pamuk’s performance, Catay diplomatically stated, “He’s OK. But he’s a better writer.”
Safak Timur contributed reporting from Istanbul.