Salman Rushdie
1981
Around 450 pages
Not only did this win the Booker Prize, but it won the Booker of Bookers Prize as voted by the public. Considering the other winners that we have to choose from, I think everybody needs to get a grip. Of course, I am well aware that for many people, this is the most important book of the century. There are many works of genius on this List that are miserable to get through. While this is not Ulysses or Infinite Jest level of drudgery, it's still an exhausting novel.
Our narrator of the story is Saleem Sinai, born at the exact moment when India became an independent country. He was born with telepathic powers and always needs a tissue. He later discovers that all children born in India between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. on that date have special powers. Saleem, using his telepathic powers, assembles a Midnight Children's Conference. Saleem uses his telepathy to bring hundreds of children into contact while also attempting to discover the meaning of their gifts.
Reading Rushdie is like listening to somebody describe their dream. He is so descriptive and meandering that he seems like he has little interest in his audience's experience. Having extensive knowledge of Indian history would probably be a strong advantage in deciphering this work, but even then I would imagine it's still a rough ride.
This might be a novel I want to revisit down the line, but for now, I definitely want to see other people.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Sold over one million copies in the UK alone.
Won the Booker Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1981.
In 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi brought an action against the book in the British courts, claiming to have been defamed by a single sentence in the penultimate paragraph of chapter 28, in which her son Sanjay Gandhi was said to have had a hold over his mother by his accusing her of contributing to his father Feroze Gandhi's death through her neglect. The case was settled out of court when Salman Rushdie agreed to remove the offending sentence.
UP NEXT: Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee
No comments:
Post a Comment