(no subject)
"To understand me, you will have to swallow a world" or so says Saleem Sinai some ways into this delightful novel - Midnight's Children, indeed it takes a few chapters for the kid to be born while we swallow the tales of his family. This is a tale of Saleem "Snotnose" Sinai born at the precise stroke of India's independence and who by the timing of his birth, has his fate inextricably linked with that of his country. This is novel that deserves all the hype and accolades that have come its way (Booker of Bookers ), but is not a light read by any means, and probably one that I can see a few readers walking away from shaking their heads wondering what all the fuss is about..
The fuss is in part about Rushide's style of writing, what he has called "mad prose pyrotechnics" ,he makes liberal use of exaggerated metaphor to paint some very vivid images, it's very stark, very dramatic. The narrative is not linear by any means either and frequently meanders along, sometimes even coming full circle, which can be distracting if you're looking for a defined story that goes straight from start to finish, but I think it's just grand. By the accident of his birth, Saleem is born gifted with telepathic powers that connect him with numerous other children of midnight and ensure that events that affect him have profound effects on the nation. Rushdie weaves in fantasy with history, as a historical account it's rather wild and sometimes inaccurate. But, it's history as seen through Saleem's eyes, and as recorded in Saleem's memory, especially in light of recent historical debates on mmk's blog, I think it offers a telling commentary on the subjectivity of history.
There are of course liberal doses of that other Rushdie hallmark - biting sarcasm.. Take his Indian take on Einstien's Theory of Relativity (from the Moor's Last Sigh):
Everything is for relative. Not only light bends, but everything. For relative we can bend a point, bend the truth, bend employment criteria, bend the law. D equals mc squared, where D is for Dynasty, m is for mass of relatives, and c of course is for corruption, which is the only constant in the universe-because in India even speed of light is dependent on load shedding and other vagaries of power supply.
Anyways, this (MC) is a rich and complex novel that I'm for sure going to read again, and one that I'm sure has found its way into numerous university courses.. I'm not qualified enough to comment on its academic worth, but this sure is a special book. Loved Haroun too but that was a very different style, more story for its own reward, a tale for children's that has so many layers to it.. latelyontime recommends Shame next, will seek it out at some point..
The fuss is in part about Rushide's style of writing, what he has called "mad prose pyrotechnics" ,he makes liberal use of exaggerated metaphor to paint some very vivid images, it's very stark, very dramatic. The narrative is not linear by any means either and frequently meanders along, sometimes even coming full circle, which can be distracting if you're looking for a defined story that goes straight from start to finish, but I think it's just grand. By the accident of his birth, Saleem is born gifted with telepathic powers that connect him with numerous other children of midnight and ensure that events that affect him have profound effects on the nation. Rushdie weaves in fantasy with history, as a historical account it's rather wild and sometimes inaccurate. But, it's history as seen through Saleem's eyes, and as recorded in Saleem's memory, especially in light of recent historical debates on mmk's blog, I think it offers a telling commentary on the subjectivity of history.
There are of course liberal doses of that other Rushdie hallmark - biting sarcasm.. Take his Indian take on Einstien's Theory of Relativity (from the Moor's Last Sigh):
Everything is for relative. Not only light bends, but everything. For relative we can bend a point, bend the truth, bend employment criteria, bend the law. D equals mc squared, where D is for Dynasty, m is for mass of relatives, and c of course is for corruption, which is the only constant in the universe-because in India even speed of light is dependent on load shedding and other vagaries of power supply.
Anyways, this (MC) is a rich and complex novel that I'm for sure going to read again, and one that I'm sure has found its way into numerous university courses.. I'm not qualified enough to comment on its academic worth, but this sure is a special book. Loved Haroun too but that was a very different style, more story for its own reward, a tale for children's that has so many layers to it.. latelyontime recommends Shame next, will seek it out at some point..