ORHAN PAMUK’S ISTANBUL -- 28

NEW YORK TIMES WORDS/STEVE WRIGHT IMAGES

Mr. Pamuk — fascinated and disturbed by the rise of political Islam in Turkey and the Middle East — based one of his most memorable characters, the terrorist leader Blue in his novel “Snow,” partly upon Mr. Mirzabeyogluna. 

Blue is an ambiguous figure: a charismatic intellectual who espouses a violent message, while avoiding direct entanglements in acts of terror. 

The cases of Mirzabeyogluna and Blue were similar, Mr. Pamuk said. 

“Some Islamists kill, but he didn’t, but he’s been locked up for a very long time.”

-Joshua Hammer