Turkish professor and writer Orhan Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006. Pamuk, who is author of such works as "The White Castle" and "My Name Is Red," is Turkey's bestselling writer and the first Turk ever to win the coveted literary award. The Nobel committee praised Pamuk, saying that "in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city [he] has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures."
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