The celebrated Turkish writer Elif shafak,
known for brilliantly crafting words while following the strict chronological
order with actual historical events pens down a multilayered masterpiece. The
Architect’s Apprentice is the product of the imagination along with the element
of realism and historical events that took place in Istanbul. Set in 16th century
Istanbul, the novel covers the reigns of three ottoman emperors along with the
12-years old Jahan, a runaway from Anatolia who saves himself from the
brutality of his stepfather and protects his white elephant Chota- the white
breast.
Arriving at the courtyard so vast with a viewpoint that you live-in a
palace all your life but never see much of it, Jahan with words different from
others lives in the palace menagerie. With the sudden changes of fortune, the
mahout falls in love with the sultan’s daughter “Mihrimah” and became an
apprentice to chief royal architect “Sinan” who teaches him that architecture
is a mirror that reflects the harmony and balance present in the universe along
with the understanding that there is always a defeat, visible to the knowing
eye and inviable to the public. Only God is perfect!
The architect Sinan constructed more than 365
buildings of various sizes, the creation of fine buildings has taught him the
lesson that to gain mastery, you need to dismantle as much as you put together.
He believed that sometimes you fell further behind schedule, the other time you
surpassed but toiling gives you joy. He passes on the words of wisdom to his
fellow apprentices that make the architect apprentice a story of love and
betrayal, faith and doubt, bravery and cowardice.
A memorable story that sets in the city which
desires more and never gets satisfied yet blooming in the enchanting
architectural monuments gives a narrative that there is always a consciousness
of the artist that leads to the sensibility and connection. The discipline of
symmetries leads to the balance of modernity and tradition, the shadows are met
and mingled in knots, and the biofilms on the façade conceal the structure but
reveal its age. There are the signs and semantics, from there the artist learns
architecture.
There is underlying importance given to the
craftsmen and galley slaves, humans, and animals who play a significant role in
the construction of the architectural wonders. The beauty of the great
monuments with the vibrant characters to the intricate details makes it a
page-turner all-along reminding that stone reflected in water, God reflected in
human beings, love reflects in heartbreaks, and truth reflects in stories.
This is reviewed and summarized by MariaTahir, one of the contributors to the School of Literature.
