Title: Victory City
Author: Salman Rushdie
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Hardcover: 350 Pages
ISBN: 978-0670098460
Buy Link: On Amazon
‘Fictions could be as powerful as histories, revealing
the new people to themselves, allowing them to understand their own natures and
the natures of those around them, and making them real.’
In ‘Victory City,’ Salman Rushdie weaves the epic tale of the
mythical Bisnaga, where the main protagonist Pampa Kampana - a sorcerer and
poet - plays a pivotal role in the birth of the empire. Eventually, the destiny
of this realm is shaped by Pampa Kampana along with many characters.
Salman Rushdie has a wide range of narrative forms, while
exploring the intricacies of society he wisely integrated references from folklore
history to biblical tales. Rushdie’s prose is magical and elegant, at times
almost poetic, as he discussed religious conflict, power, and race.
‘Only when she saw the last slabs of roasted flesh fall away
from Radha Kampana’s bones to reveal the naked skull did she understand that
her childhood was over and from now on she must conduct herself as an adult and
never commit her mother’s last mistake. She would laugh at death and turn her
face toward life.’
The story begins with a traumatic atrocity witnessed by Pampa,
which strengthens her existence, still, her divine calling doesn’t shield her
from the harsh truth of life ¬ every blessing comes with a
downside.
“… I am more than one person, and not all those persons are
admirable. I am the mother of the city—even though few people believe I am
she—but I am away from my own daughters and during this separation I do not
feel like their mother at all.’
Rushdie’s way of interlacing vivid descriptions makes you visualize
the ancient city, and it maintains momentum despite various subplots – he succeeded
in making me believe that it is a translation of an epic poem, Jayaparayam. At heart,
it is a meditation on story culture, recollections of community tales, and a sense
of being.
‘You are not plants, to come from such vegetal origins! You
all have memories, you know your life stories and the stories of those who came
before you, your ancestors, who built the city before you were born. Those
memories are genuine and were not implanted in your brain by any whispering
sorceress.’
Rushdie’s writing was so compelling, I got mesmerized by how
he muddled up the margins of reality, dimensions, and imagination. He delves
into a saga of the ancient empire and intentionally relates it to partition. That’s
the power of storytelling.
One of the novel’s strengths is the strong and remarkable women
characters, including the protagonist, who embraced contemporary beliefs
throughout the entire narrative. Besides this, a generous portion of humour, philosophical
notions, and an enthralling storyline captivate the reader.
‘Looks like even the magic seeds have one rule for the rulers
and another for the ruled,’
‘Victory City’ is a gripping and significant work of art, the
only thing that disengaged me a bit, was a few outmoded sentences. Overall,
I adored the book and would recommend it to readers.
About the Author
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Salman Rushdie is the author of fourteen previous novels, including Midnight's Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), The Satanic Verses, and Quichotte (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize). A former president of PEN American Center, Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for services to literature and was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen's last Birthday Honours list in 2022.
P.s. Thank you, Vivek Tejuja and Penguin Random House for providing a review copy.