Victory City

by Salman Rushdie

She will whisper an empire into existence - but all stories have a way of getting away from their creators . . .

'A total pleasure'
SUNDAY TIMES

'Shows once again why his work will always matter'
NEW YORK TIMES

'Rushdie still has the gift of alchemy'
FINANCIAL TIMES

In the wake of an insignificant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-knit Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga - literally 'victory city' - the wonder of the world.

Over the next two hundred and fifty years, Pampa Kampana's life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga's as she attempts to make good on the task that the goddess set for to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and as years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, Bisnaga is no exception.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, India, Mythology, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2023

About the author

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, typically set on the Indian subcontinent. Rushdie's second novel, Midnight's Children (1981), won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was deemed to be "the best novel of all winners" on two occasions, marking the 25th and the 40th anniversary of the prize.
After his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), Rushdie became the subject of several assassination attempts and death threats, including a fatwa calling for his death issued by Ruhollah Khomeini, the supreme leader of Iran. In total, 20 countries banned the book. Numerous killings and bombings have been carried out by extremists who cite the book as motivation, sparking a debate about censorship and religiously motivated violence. In 2022, Rushdie survived a stabbing at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York.
In 1983, Rushdie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was appointed a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in 1999. Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for his services to literature. In 2008, The Times ranked him 13th on its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Since 2000, Rushdie has lived in the United States. He was named Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University in 2015. Earlier, he taught at Emory University. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012, he published Joseph Anton: A Memoir, an account of his life in the wake of the events following The Satanic Verses. Rushdie was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in April 2023.
Rushdie's personal life, including his five marriages and four divorces, has attracted notable media attention and controversies, particularly during his marriage to actress Padma Lakshmi.

Reviews

[Yukari Watanabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this novel especially because what Rushdie went through recently. But, I have to be honest with myself. I do not love this novel.

This novel made me quite angry from time to time. I'm sure that Rushdie believes he wrote a feminist novel. But he really doesn't understand women. If a Goddess chooses a woman to create a new world, she would make her a ruler. Instead, Rushdie made Pampa Kampana a wife of a stupid man who became the king of the new world just because. Then, he made her do it again. I know it's based on the real history of The Vijayanagara Empire, but Rushdie could tell a much better story if he understood women.

What made me really angry was what Pamapa Kampana did as a "queen". If any woman I know had a power and position to change a society like Pampa Kampana, sexual freedom (openly having a lover outside of marriage) and displaying sexual artworks in the public would NOT be a priority at all! So many male authors do that when they write "strong" female characters. And, I detest it. That's their fantasy and not our dream. If a wise woman created a world, she would be a ruler. And she would take a hold of the political power first, and keep doing it every second of her life. She would give the same educations to her daughters and sons. She would think about the best action every single day, which Pampa Kampana totally failed to do. Having a couple of women in some positions which are considered to be male occupations doesn't mean women have equal rights.

Pampa Kampana could see the future and she could whisper to people, but she never used that power to make rulers or her sons wiser. She used the magical power after nothing really mattered anymore. Even if a female ruler was wise, she would encounter so many oppositions and often fail in the end. Rushdie didn't need to make Pampa Kampana so stupid (unwise) to give her ordeals.

Did I expect too much? I don't know. I reread some parts before I wrote this, and I am still quite angry.

[Ron Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight, in this fraught moment, to be given a magical new novel by Salman Rushdie. Though “Victory City” was completed before the knife attack at Chautauqua , it’s impossible not to read parts of this grand fantasy as an allegory of the author’s struggles against sectarian hatred and ignorance. Indeed, given the physical and emotional sacrifices he’s made, some coincidences between this story and his own life are almost too poignant to bear.

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...

[Kevin Ansbro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved Sir Salman Rushdie's work ever since he fired up my imagination with the writing that bejewelled every page of Midnight's Children. And I've since hoped that he might one day match, or even eclipse, his crowning achievement.
Did Rushdie achieve that with Victory City? Let's just say that he gave Midnight's Children a run for its money.

The opening sentence promised much:
"On the last day of her life when she was two hundred and forty-seven years old, the blind poet, miracle worker and prophetess Pampa Kampala completed her immense narrative poem and buried it in a clay pot sealed with wax in the heart of the Royal Enclosure, as a message to the future."
"Yes!" I shouted, putting on my MC Hammer pants and gliding sideways across the room. "Sir Salman is back on top form and I am loving it!"

Inspired by a once-flourishing medieval Hindu kingdom in Southern India, the author brings us an allegorical fairy tale in which Pampa Kampala (who ages as slowly as an oak tree) propagates a living, breathing city from little more than seeds and whispers. The scope of Rushdie's imagination and the magnitude of his world-building is still astonishing: it's an Indian Game of Thrones; it's Sinbad and the Arabian Nights; it's The Odyssey and War and Peace with just a hint of Benjamin Button thrown in. It's brilliant!
I must admit that I quite enjoyed Rushdie deliberately taking liberties with the dialogue - as magical realism permits - by wryly adopting an Errol Flynn*/Basil Rathbone* manner of speaking.
*(those of you fortunate enough to be favoured by youth and peachy complexions may need to Google these two actors).

And the old maestro has lost none of his impishness:
"In the evenings at the time of the sunset promenade, it was possible to see couples of all sorts taking the air and holding hands without embarrassment: men and men, women and women, and yes, men and women too."

Sadly, despite my initial excitement, the story (for me) didn't quite live up to its breathtaking promise.
Because Rushdie has long ago transcended his craft, and has become a global cause célèbre, I feel he might be resting on his laurels and that I might now be reading his books just to purr over the quality of his writing, rather than his storytelling.

But his exuberance lights up every page, I adore his writing, and still tip my hat to his virtuosity.
So, despite the irresolute storyline, it can only be five radiant stars!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victory City is my first book by Salman Rushdie and it won't be the last. This historical fantasy is a tale of an orphan girl turned demi-goddess, Pampa Kampana who received magic seeds that she use to create a kingdom.

As I understand it, the magic kingdom is inspired by the 15th-century Hindu empire, Vijayanagara-Bisnaga.

This is so out of my comfort zone. I only see the big picture but didn't fully understand the fine details. This novel blends love, history, fantasy, adventure, and myth. The message of gender equality and the power of words is clear. A powerful ending!

I really enjoy the audiobook and also my first by the narrator, Sid Sagar. I would recommend having a print copy along with the audiobook if you're like me and unfamiliar with Indian names/words.
3.5⭐

[Emmanuel Kostakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fiction could be as powerful as histories, revealing new people to themselves, allowing them to understand their own natures and the natures of those around them, and making them real.”

"Victory City" a beautiful allegory that captures the complex social fabric of our diverse society. The story is set in the fictional city of Bisnaga, a melting pot of cultures and religions, where the destiny of a young girl named Pampa Kampana unfolds. “Found themselves in the dawn of time , and the midst of chaos which is the first condition of all new universe.”

Through Pampa's story, Rushdie brilliantly captures the intricate and nuanced social landscape of our society and comments on diversity, identity, and multiculturalism. Pamapa a wanderer in a maze with a monster waiting at its heart. An idealistic dreamer or a high-minded realist?

Rushdie skilfully weaves together the twisted threads of politics and religion. Should the world of faith be separated from the temporal power? Can we construct a society that do not divide us, but unite us? Equity and justice is observed to all and to deny this possibility is an untenable position: we then must imbue the citizen with a strong belief in the rule of law and teach them the value of freedoms… “once you have created your characters, you had to be bound by their choices. You were no longer free to remake them according to your own desires. They were what they were, and they would do what they would do. This was free will.”

Rushdie delves into the Essence of existence: What is a human being? What is a human life? What’s a good life and what isn’t? How shall we live? Man and Woman united, and the Essence is once again whole and complete, and the whole universe itself comes in to being. Can we attain the ultimate reality, the one that is both cause and effect, the one that doesn’t change but in which all change is contained and only the present moment exists? “Sometimes the future arrives there ahead of time and reveals its nature before the outside world knows anything about it.”

“History is the consequence not only of people’s actions, but also of their forgetfulness.”

Ultimately this is a tale of love and betrayal, seen through the aged eyes of young Pampa, a lone traveller crossing the celestial gates of time. Nothing endures, but nothing is meaningless either. We rise, we fall, we rise again, we fall again. We go on…

4.5/5

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salman Rushdie is one of my favorite authors. Victory City is a novel about a nine-year old girl who is given the ability to live for centuries yet remains looking young. The community is given the name Victory City.

Victory City's approach to women, religion, race, education, and class varies as different leaders assume power. At times, there is harmony as people from all backgrounds live together as a community very well. Then the seeds of distrust are sown and walls get erected and people live with and near those who are like them because they have heard disparaging remarks about "others."

Rushdie is an incredible author and storyteller. Victory City holds up the fictional mirror to behaviors and communities that are not inclusive of all.

[Jonathan Hawpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 out of 10. Imbuing fables and fairy tales with the blood, sweat and tears of real life has always been part of Salman Rushdie's writerly m.o., but with Victory City he's immersed fully in the waters of ancient mythical epics and pulled the most meaningful, human elements up from the depths. Rushdie is working a genre of his own here (maybe the Bhagavad Gita meets American Gods?) but readers who love Calvino's Cosmicomics and fans of Madeline Miller's Circe should have a feast with this one.

[Aaron Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve often said that the prose of Salman Rushdie is so beautiful that I could read it all day without there even having to be a story that is being written about. Sometimes, Victory City felt like it was testing this theory of mine. This isn’t an entirely accurate portrayal, but it still felt that way at times. There was, of course, a storyline but it very frequently felt like Rushdie took the scenic route to get to the next destination, relying on exploring with characters who didn’t really want you to like them. And sometimes that scenic route had a lot of potholes (not necessarily plot holes). When I first heard that Rushdie was going to go back to a mythic narrative of India, I was excited for a chance to glean hints of the stuff that made Midnight’s Children the classic that it is; the result, however, was more of an expedition into the norms and mores of India, and an exploration of Rushdie’s thoughts on varying social subjects. I didn't dislike this book, but I definitely wanted to like it more than I did. Read it for the beautiful language, but don’t be in a hurry to get where you’re going.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best retelling ( if this is a retelling) that I've read since The song of Achilles.

I'm not familiar with the source, but Pampa Kampana is the victim of her own ambition. Her trajectory of success, destruction, and rebirth is fascinating, especially when u get to see what victory means for her, in the end.

The prose was less intimidating than expected. It gave me '1001 nights' vibes.

[Matt Quann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rushdie, in my experience, is where challenge meets reward for the seasoned reader. His prose is vibrant, versatile, and quite often playful. His style is buoyed by narration that can be digressive but, in my experience, helps to add a sense of an oral tradition in storytelling. His novels are wreathed in meaning, history and mythology. In short, there's no author quite like him. Here then in his latest novel, Victory City, Rushdie takes on the challenge of describing the rise and fall of the magical empire of Bisnaga through the eyes of Pampa Kampana, a girl who becomes the vessel of a goddess.

I've largely seen this novel represented in its context to Rushdie's recovery following a brutal knife attack late last year. It's a relationship that makes the stabbing, temporally, difficult to extricate from the novel itself. By chance--Victory City was written before the attack--the novel has a great deal to say about the staying power of stories in contrast to the deeds of men. Thematically, it makes entire sense to couch the novel's release and press around this reflection of Rushdie's complicated history post-fatwa with Pampa's struggles against orthodox religion, despots, and war mongers.

All the same, I think the novel's lasting legacy will be one that celebrates Rushdie's talents as a writer. Victory City encompasses more than 250 years of time as we witness the rise and fall of multiple lines of leadership of the fictional city of Bisnaga. The turning over of leadership, the death of enemies, the failed plots of splinter factions can take place over chapters and pages, but may just as easily begin and end in a paragraph. Fortunately, the thread isn't hard to follow because Rushdie uses this space with great economy of language: that is, an impression is made on the reader with both the brief and longer histories.

As the novel frequently dives into the fantastical, I found myself thinking most often of Marlon James' Black Leopard, Red Wolf and Moon Witch, Spider King. With both novels, though James's work is undoubtedly weirder, the western tradition of fantasy is upended and replaced by something entirely curious and compelling. Though I do find that this novel treads more towards issues of state and society, it is well positioned in the world of new fantasy.

This is a novel I'm glad to have read around the time of its release. Though it didn't do as much for me as Quichotte did a few years ago, I did thoroughly enjoy Victory City. I'm a fast reader, but Rushdie demands a slower pace to savour the language across these pages. It's nice to be slowed down and shown words and worlds you hadn't known existed before cracking the spine.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

From what seemed to be a great premise, this was ultimately disappointing. The meandering nature of the tale, which should have been filled with highs and lows, remains flat throughout. The main character, pitched as a driving force over a two hundred and fifty year period, seems to have little or no agency, and is swept along by history rather than being interwoven into it. Elements of what could have been better are passed over by the fictional translator/writer, who chooses to allude to greatness rather than putting it on the page. Coupled with the uncomfortable misogyny that seeps into the story, which could have been highlighted as such but isn’t, leaves a bad taste in the mouth, almost as if it’s acceptable, the whole story seems like a badly worded fable with very little to learn from. It gets a solid ‘meh’ from me.

[ORKO · Rating 4 out of 5]

যেদিন আর সবার সাথে তার মা ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়েছিলো আগুনের লেলিহান শিখায়, মেয়েটির শৈশব ধ্বংস হয়ে গেছিলো সেদিনই। এই করুণ কাহিনীর পটভূমি চৌদ্দ শতকের দক্ষিণ ভারতে। অজ্ঞাতনামা এক যুদ্ধে বিধ্বস্ত হয়েছে বিজয়নগর। যুদ্ধে শহীদদের খোঁজ পৌঁছাতেই বিধবাদের মাঝে শোকের মাতম উঠেছে। সিঁথির সিঁদুর মুছে তারা খরস্রোতা নদী পেরিয়ে যাচ্ছে শ্মশানঘাটের দিকে। শোকাতুরা বিধবারা একে অন্যকে বিদায় জানিয়ে এগিয়ে চলেছে জ্বলন্ত চিতা অভিমুখে। অধিক শোকে পাথর অবস্থা। কারো কোনো অভিযোগ,পিছুটান নেই। কান্না তো দূরে থাক,যেন নিঃশ্বাস নিতেই ভুলে গেছে ওরা। এই দিনটার প্রতীক্ষায়ই বোধহয় কেটে গেছে তুচ্ছ জীবন!
সুগন্ধী চন্দন কাঠের চিতা সাজানো কাপড়,হলুদ,জিরা,জাফরান,এলাচ,দারুচিনিতে।
তারা একে একে জায়গা করে নিলো সেখানে।
আয়োজন শেষে অগ্নিসংযোগ করা হলো সেই রাক্ষুসে চিতার মুখে। নিমেষে দাউদাউ করে জ্বলতে শুরু করলো সেই সুসজ্জিত মৃত্যুমঞ্চ। অদূরে দাঁড়িয়েছিলো পাম্পা আর তার মা রাধা। রাধার নির্বিকার অভিব্যক্তিহীন হলেও পাম্পার চোখ ভরে উঠলো জলে। এতোদিন যাদের সে চিনতো,যাদের সাথে কাটিয়েছে এই নয় বছরের ক্ষুদ্র জীবন,তাদের শরীরকে গ্রাস করে নিচ্ছে আগুনের লকলকে জিভ। বাতাস ভারী হয়ে উঠছে মাংস পোড়া গন্ধে। এদের কারো কারো কণ্ঠে বিজয়নগর মদির নেশায় মত্ত হতো,কারো রূপে লজ্জা পেতো আকাশের চাঁদও। কী প্রাণোচ্ছল সজীবতা ছিল অগণিত এই নারীদের মাঝে! অথচ মৃত্যুর সময় একটা যন্ত্রণার আর্তনাদও বের হয় নি কারো মুখ থেকে। নীরবে চিতায় শুয়ে,বসে,দাঁড়িয়ে আত্মহুতি দেয় তারা। ভোগ করতে থাকে অমোঘ দহন যন্ত্রণা। এই নীরবতা ক্রমশ অসহ্য হয়ে উঠে। অথচ সেখান থেকে পিছু হটারও উপায় নেই! নীল ধোঁয়া কেবল এঁকেবেঁকে উঠে যাচ্ছে আকাশের দিকে। চোখ জ্বালা করে পাম্পার। সে শক্ত করে আঁকড়ে ধরে মায়ের হাত। কিন্তু সন্তর্পণে বাঁধন আলগা করতে থাকে রাধা। যদিও তার স্বামী এই যুদ্ধের শহীদ নয়,সে মারা গেছিলো বহু আগেই,তারপরও দ্রুত লয়ে  সে হেঁটে যেতে থাকে সেই অগ্নিকুণ্ডের দিকে। পাম্পা হতভম্বের মতো দাঁড়িয়ে থাকে। ভাবে,হয়তো কাছ থেকেই ফিরে আসবে রাধা। দুয়েকবার ডাকও দেয়। কিন্তু রাধা অবিচল গতিতে গিয়ে ঝাঁপ দেয় সেই জ্বলন্ত রাক্ষসের মুখে। ঘটনাটা ঘটবার পর অনেকক্ষণ  পাম্পা কিছু বুঝে উঠতে পারে না। 'মা এটা কী করলো!' বাকরুদ্ধ হয়ে পড়ে পাম্পা।  চিতা থেকে ভেসে আসে খুলি ফাটার শব্দ,পোড়া মাংসের গন্ধ। যেন আক্রমণকারী সুলতানের বহরকে  ভুঁড়ি ভোজ করানোর জন্যই এই আয়োজন! এরপর পাম্পার মাংসের উপর থেকে রুচি উঠে যায় চিরতরে। কাউকে মাংস রাঁধতে দেখলে মুখ ফিরিয়ে নেয় সে। কারণ, মায়ের জ্বলন্ত দেহটাকে সে ভুলতে পারে না কোনোদিনও। ফিরে দাঁড়ায় পাম্পা। যেন সে মৃত্যুর দিক থেকে মুখ ফিরিয়ে যেতে চায় জীবনের সমারোহে। মৃত্যুর প্রতি তীব্র ঘৃণা জমতে থাকে তার মনে। ঠিক তখনই ঘটে একটা ঐশ্বরিক ঘটনা।


স্বর্গীয় আশীর্বাদস্বরূপ পাম্পার মধ্য দিয়ে কথা বলে ওঠে এক দেবী। সময়ের থেকেও প্রাচীন সেই কণ্ঠ যেন এক বজ্রনির্ঘোষ,সুউচ্চ পাহাড়ি ঝরনার কলতান মুখরিত কোনো উপত্যকার মাঝে বেজে চলেছে। নিজের কণ্ঠস্বরকে চিনতে না পেরে পাম্পা ভীত হয়ে পড়ে। তার মনে পড়ে যায় অনেক আগে শোনা একটা গল্প। যে নদীর তীরে সে দাঁড়িয়ে, সেই খরস্রোতা নদীটিরও নাম পাম্পা, দেবী পার্বতীর স্থানীয় নাম। পার্বতীর সাথে শিবের প্রথম মিলন ঘটে এই বিজয়নগরেই। দেবী স্বয়ং পাম্পার মধ্য দিয়ে সেই মৃত্যুপুরীতে প্রকট হন। এখানেই  সালমান রুশদীর 'Victory City' অর্থপূর্ণ হতে শুরু করে। এরপর নয় বছরের পাম্পার মুখ দিয়ে দেবী পার্বতী কথা বলতে শুরু করেন। নিজের উপর পাম্পার কোনো নিয়ন্ত্রণ থাকে না। সিনেমা দেখতে বসে নিষ্ক্রিয় দর্শক যেমন অভিনেতার স্বগতোক্তি শুনে যায়, পাম্পার অবস্থাও হয় ঠিক সেরকম। মোক্ষলাভের মধ্য দিয়ে পাম্পা ২৪৭ বছরের এক সুদীর্ঘ জীবনের অধিকারী হয়। ঠিক এভাবেই পাম্পা দ্য প্রফেট,দ্য মিরাকল ওয়ার্কারের উত্থানের মধ্য দিয়ে সূচনা ঘটে সালমান রুশদীর সাম্প্রতিকতম উপন্যাসের।

প্রায় ২৫০ বছর ধরে দেবী কর্তৃক পজেসড পাম্পার এই গল্প খানিকটা ঐতিহাসিক, খানিকটা ফ্যান্টাসি আর খানিকটা জাদুবাস্তবতায় মোড়া । রুশদী এমন এক মধ্যযুগীয় ভারতের গল্প বলেন,যেখানে পাখিরাও কথা বলতে পারে,মানুষ আকাশে উড়তে পারে। এই আখ্যান আসলে এক বানোয়াট সংস্কৃত পুঁথির পুনর্কথন,যা রচনা করেছে পাম্পা স্বয়ং। এই পুঁথিকে আছে বিসনাগা যা প্রকৃতপক্ষে বিজয়নগরের অপভ্রংশ,সেই নগরীর গল্প। পুঁথিমতে, এই নগরের পত্তন হয়েছিলো পাম্পার বীজভর্তি ব্যাগ থেকে।

শুরুতেই রুশদী এমন প্রবল ধাক্কা দিয়ে পাঠকদের ধন্ধে ফেলে দেন। এই কিসসা বাস্তবের নাকি জাদু-বাস্তব কোনো জগতের? এমন হৃদয়স্পর্শী চমকপ্রদ সূচনার মধ্য দিয়ে ভিক্টোরি সিটি পরবর্তী ঘটনাপ্রবাহের প্রতি পাঠককে আগ্রহী করে তোলে। গল্পবুননের এই ব্যতিক্রমী মৌলিকতায়,ভাষার কাব্যিকতায় সিক্ত মন বিষণ্ণ ভাটিয়ালি গানের মতো এই কাহিনীর পরিণতি জানতে চায়। সুরুয়াদের আগুনে ঝলসানো দৃশ্যগুলো ইঙ্গিত দেয় বিজয়নগরের এই আখ্যান শুধু মিথিক্যালই হতে যাচ্ছে না, সেখানে থাকবে নারীবাদিতা। কিন্তু শুরুতেই সতীদাহের মতো প্রথার প্রকট ইঙ্গিতের কারণে পাঠকের মনে হয়তো প্রশ্ন উঠবে। এই বিজয়নগরে কী তাহলে পুরুষতান্ত্রিক সমাজ ব্যবস্থা আছে? ব্যাপারটা মোটেও সেরকম না। ভিক্টোরি সিটির মধ্যে সারপ্রাইজিংলি নারী-পুরুষ সমতা প্রতিষ্ঠার প্রয়াস দেখা যায়। নারীদের ঘরকন্না করার পাশাপাশি কারুকাজ,ব্যবসা আর যুদ্ধকৌশলে বিশেষ পারদর্শী। রুশদীর এই ���েন্ডার ইকুইটি মনোভাবের দেখা মেলে পাতার পর পাতা জুড়ে। কিন্তু নারীকে শুধু গ্লোরিফাই করেন নি তিনি। বেশ কিছু নেগেটিভ নারী চরিত্রেরও দেখা মিলবে এই আখ্যানে।

প্রসঙ্গে ফেরা যাক। পাহাড়ের পাদদেশে গরু চরাতে হুকা আর বুকা প্রত্যক্ষ করে এক অপার্থিব ঘটনা। তাদের চোখের সামনে ঐশ্বরিক নির্দেশে ধ্বংসপ্রাপ্ত নগরীর বুকে প্রাণ সঞ্চার হয়। আশীর্বাদ প্রাপ্ত পাম্পার ব্যাগ থেকে সৃষ্টি হয় জাদুকরী বিজয় নগরের। হাওয়ার ঘূর্ণি থেকে তৈরি হয় রাজকীয় প্রাসাদ। মাটি ফুঁড়ে গড়ে ওঠে হনুমানের মন্দির, ঐরাবত ভবন। সহসা শত-সহস্র মানুষের কোলাহলে প্রাণ জাগে নগরীর বুকে,মুখরিত হয়। গৃহপালিত পশুপাখিরা ছোটাছুটি করে এদিক-সেদিক। তৃণ-গুল্ম-বৃক্ষে শোভিত হয়ে উঠে চারপাশ। নগরী সৃষ্টির কাজ সমাপ্ত হতেই পাম্পা হুকা-বুকাকে করে দেয় নগরীর রাজা। পাম্পা তারপর এক পর্তুগিজ ঘোড়া ব্যবসায়ী ডোমিঙ্গো নানসের সাথে ঘর বাঁধে। এই জাদুমোড়া নগরে পাম্পা ভালোবাসা,মাতৃত্ব, উপাসিত হবার স্বাদ পায়। রানি হিসেবে তার স্বল্পস্থায়ী শাসনকালে পাম্পা লিঙ্গবৈষম্য,বর্ণবাদিতার বিরুদ্ধে কাজ করে সমতা ফিরিয়ে আনার চেষ্টা করে। কিন্তু তার সেই প্রয়াস ব্যর্থ হয়। আর এখান থেকে শুরু হয় ক্ষমতার প্রতিদ্বন্দিতার যুদ্ধ,প্রাসাদ ষড়যন্ত্র। একপর্যায়ে রাজ্যচ্যুত হয়ে নির্বাসিত হয় পাম্পা। কিন্তু সে আবারও ক্ষমতায় ফিরে আসতে চায়। তারই ধারাবিবরণী মেলে বইয়ের শেষভাগ 'Exile' এ। এই গুরুগম্ভীর বিষয়ে কিন্তু কোথাও রুশদীর লেখার স্বভাবসুলভ কৌতুকপ্রবণতা হারিয়ে যায় নি। পাম্পার সম্পর্কে এক জায়গায় তিনি বর্ণনা দিয়েছেন এরকম,‘Pampa, an ageless 191, looks like a woman of thirty-five or so – thirty-eight at the most.’

Victory City পড়তে গিয়ে এর মৌলিকত্ব পাঠকদের মুগ্ধ করবে। এই মহাকাব্যিক আখ্যানকে ভাগ করা হয়েছে চার ভাগে— Birth,Exile,Glory,Fall শিরোনামে। পড়তে যদিও মাঝে মাঝে মনে হতে পারে ভিক্টোরি সিটি সালমান রুশদীর সৃষ্টিশক্তির তুলনায় হয়তো খানিকটা ম্লান, উনার অন্য উপন্যাসের মতো স্ট্রাইকিং না। তবে এরকম আরেকটা লেখা যে পাঠক পড়েন নি,সেই নতুনত্ব স্বীকার করতে বাধ্য হবেন।

পাম্পা কাম্পানার সুদীর্ঘ জীবনের এই ২৪৭ বছরে কতশত বার ক্ষমতার হাতবদল হয়, দখল নিয়ে
উত্তরাধিকারের মাঝে কামড়া কামড়ি হয়,শত্রুরা রাজ্যের উপর ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়ে, তিরোহিত হয়।  সব্বার পরিচিত চিরন্তন কাহিনী! খানিকটা ক্লান্তিকরও। কিন্তু তারপরও ভিক্টোরি সিটি ব্যতিক্রমী। কারণ, বিজয় নগরের এই চিরকালের গল্প এমন এক অক্ষের চারপাশে ঘুরছে, যা এড়ানো যায় না। পাম্পা কাম্পানার সেই সংস্কৃত
পুঁথির শেষ কবিতাটা কী ছিল,জানেন?

“How are they remembered now, these kings, these queens?
They exist now only in words.
While they lived, they were victors, or vanquished, or both.
Now they are neither.
Words are the only victors.”



এইসব গল্প ছড়িয়ে পড়ে দিগ্বিদিক। পার হয় সাত সমুদ্র,তেরো নদী। মানুষ তো মারা যায়,হারিয়ে হয় নিঃশেষ। কিন্তু গল্প কি কখনো মরে?

কিন্তু এই গল্প তো শুধু গল্প না। এই গল্পের মূলে আছে সত্য। পাম্পা কাম্পানা আর তার ব্যাগভর্তি জাদুকরী বীজ হয়তো রুশদীর কল্পনা কিন্তু অজস্র নারীদের সেই আত্মবলিদানের ঘটনা কিন্তু আসলেই ঘটেছিলো, চৌদ্দ শতকের গোড়ার দিকে। হুকা, বুকার চরিত্রও বাস্তব। বিজয়নগরের ধ্বংসাবশেষকে এখন হাম্পি বলা হয়, এর মন্দিরগুলি ইউনেস্কোর ওয়ার্ল্ড হেরিটেজ সাইট।
সাম্রাজ্যের বিশাল সৈন্যবাহিনী, যুদ্ধের হাতির উপর তাদের নির্ভরতা,উত্তরে মুসলিম সালতানাতদের সাথে এর দীর্ঘ কলহের ইতিহাস - এসবকিছুই বাস্তব। ওই অঞ্চলে পর্তুগিজ পরিব্রাজক আর ব্যবসায়ীদের সফরেরও ঐতিহাসিক সত্যতা রয়েছে।

[Emily Coffee and Commentary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling mythical saga of one girl who is tasked with creating and destroying a city of dreams. Told in Rushdie’s flowing, colorful prose, Victory City is a tale of human failure and triumph, of love and anger, of equality and injustice; it is a chronicle of what propels us forward and what holds us back, what makes us live authentic lives, and what sends us to the next with regrets. The world building is expansive and the discussions reflective and immersive: what would you do if you were given the ability to build an empire? Would you do it all the same knowing that the pride of others will burn it down? A fantasy standalone that is filled with real world lessons.

[Seemita · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘History is the consequence not only of people’s actions, but also of their forgetfulness.’

I couldn’t help but mull over this sentiment of the author in the light of the dastardly attack on him last year – an attack that, eventually, impacted his vision in one eye and movement of one arm. An attack for likely something he was accused of more than three decades ago. Who would have, including the intimidating Sir Rushdie, thought that what he wrote a couple of months/ years back in Victory City shall play upon him, like a trick-assumed-life?'

A city rises from seeds, with divine incantation of Pampa Kampana – a young girl of 9 who, in a near epiphanic moment, coinciding with her mother’s self-sacrifice as per Sati pratha, is blessed by the Goddess herself – and gains the characters of the people who inhabit her. Set in southern India and casting Vijayanagara kingdom as its citadel of action, the empire of Bisnaga, the city, experiences everything – love, friendship, bounty, weddings, education, training, magic, art, betrayal, politics, casteism, bigotry, war, death, succession – over and over again. Like the circle of life.

But if you choose to kneel close to its beating heart, you shall perhaps spot the parallels of Bisnaga’s events to the events unfolding across many global terrains of today – rule of incompetent heads, lack of able challengers, ugly howling of religious fanaticism, gnawing of rampant patriarchy and collective damage by fringe elements being questioned by a consistent group of reformers, beholders of free speech, advocates of equality and defenders of diversity.

But I come to Sir Rushdie’s works not just for his incisive take on the current political and societal canvas but for his impeccably rich way of taking this stand. Draped in many colors and foliage, a dazzling pack of birds and animals, and an enviable, and notably fable-like, warrior clan that leaps across timelines to give life to his imagined city are what left me breathless and eager to turn the pages. Page after page, his insistence to grant equal footing to women as those of men, whether in schools or fights, music or last rites, elevated his work to the heights that I have come to look upto. And in all these frantic observations, the cloud of profundity doesn’t leave him; every once in a while, it opens its arms and spills over its riches in his voice over Bisnaga’s people.

’In this way, Pampa learned the lesson every creator must learn, even God himself. Once you had created your characters, you had to be bound by their choices. You were no longer free to remake them according to your own desires. They were what they were and they would do what they would do. This was ‘free will’. She could not change them if they did not want to be changed.

Perhaps this perspicacity provides him the courage to carry on despite the unexpected threats lurking around, and the spirit to shift base to a better world, if need be, like his character who successfully flew away despite having only a cheel’s feather for company.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/U9KIoxdYmfo

This was an engaging historical fantasy that blends mythology into a place and period of time that I was previously not familiar with. I Loved the framing of the story, which made me feel like I was reading something out of history. However that same framing of the story kept me at an arm's distance from the characters. I liked this one as a sweeping tale, even if it did not provide me with an intimate familiarity with the individuals.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now Available.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley, for providing an early copy for review. I don't know that I've ever had this many reflections on a novel before.

This novel takes place in the 14th century, in a region which would one day become part of India, in a real city lost to history. Rushdie's mythical re-creation of Victory City is the center of a wildly imaginative saga, in which the author has woven in oblique references to nearly every kind of storytelling: myths, legends, traditions, folklore, history, and even biblical stories, as he examines every part of society and how it functions and dysfunctions.

The story begins unambiguously enough, though tragic. The main character, Pampa Kampana, witnesses a traumatic horror which galvanizes her commitment to a purposeful tenacious life. She becomes a prophetess at a very young age. It's clear that she has been favored with a very old and regal soul. Her chosenness does not protect her, at first, from the real world. She learns well enough that all blessings are mixed, and that people are mostly selfish and hypocritical. It is at this time that she learns to master her emotions and memories.

Pampa is crafty, making clear to her listeners that they are in the presence of a wise prophetess, but also holding back some details in the miraculous directives she provides. She already knows that the great empire will know both victory and defeat, but the hearers of her proscriptions don't need to see the whole picture to put the inevitable in motion. I don't want to spoil the magic of how Victory City comes about, but what I will comment on is how Rushdie has, through this story, highlighted the importance of stories, language and culture, a sense of belonging and shared memories, all of which help us anchor our identity.

The first tensions in the story come from the citizens trying to derive their identity based on who is within and who is outside of the community, and how that should limit the sphere of one's influence. A story as old as time itself. As it is well-known, Rushdie has, for decades, criticized cultism, asceticism, forced conformity, and groupthink. With some subtlety, he makes a case for how religious cults come about. This is a good time to add that the tone is not particularly serious, though the themes and subtext certainly are. The author includes a great deal of satirical humor, and even adds purely intentional anachronisms.

The overarching theme of the entire novel is the importance of stories, and how they can fill in the rifts between people, to prevent the "Us vs. Them" dynamic from occurring in the first place. Not only does Rushdie emphasize the importance of stories, but also he underscores that what we think of as "natural" is whatever has been reinforced as the *correct* way of things. If a feminist ideal has been passed down, along with an expectation that no role is strictly gendered, what might our societies look like?

Just as he emphasizes the importance of stories, even (or perhaps, especially) false ones, Rushdie also accentuates the dangers of stories which suffer from too much manipulation and stretching. And when are people most vulnerable to these bastardized stories? Rushdie points out that often people turn to deep asceticism, fundamentalism, and austerity, during times of great personal misery, even though these pursuits are unlikely to improve anyone's lives.

In developing the character of the gifted, feared, and dangerous Pampa Kampana, the author demonstrates the kind of madness which comes from hubris (mostly among the kings she serves), a dissociative state common among ancient rulers. Brilliantly, the author compares Pampa's untetheredness from herself to the desperation of the Minotaur. The metaphor is striking and telling: the idea that the beast at the heart of the maze of one's own life is in fact, the frightening persona at the core of the self: untameable, ravenous, and forced into a sometimes horrifying existence against its will. Pampa Kampana is nearly ageless, powerful, and has been gifted by a goddess, but is that a satisfying life or a burden?

It is at this moment of the author's incise analysis arriving at the nexus of complex motives, compulsions, and the weight of experience, that I realized that this story has application for each and every reader's life, a remarkable feat. Rushdie states it outright: each of us is a riddle, that we cannot solve. We come closest to understanding our life's purpose at the very end, and that can be both a revelation and an intense point of frustration.

In addition to philosophizing, Rushdie injects a feminist slant into the entire narrative. There are too many familiar patterns of gendered behavior to count, but all are amusing. Even in this magical place in which women have achieved some level of social equality, certain tropes remain:

--an unattractive, yet powerful man will have no trouble finding a beautiful woman to stand by his side.
--a humiliated man will try to cover his shame with violence.
--a woman who continues to chase men late in her life is seen as odd, while it is tacitly accepted that men do so.
--women worry a lot more about ethics and optics than most men.

And to further ruffle a few feathers, the author comes back time and time again to analyze the effects of religion on society. Though roundly cynical in perspective, Rushdie also asserts that those in power only have an interest in religion as a tool for best wielding that power. It's perhaps a little too broad a brush to oversimplify like this, but we have consistently heard this perspective from the author over the years. He is correct in the assertion that religion everywhere tends toward the political.

Religion and government are always a volatile mix, and the people's tolerance for the divine right of kings is always temporary. And the king won't be the only one unhappy with rebellion and slipping influence. Always beware especially the chagrin of a priest.

The author points out correctly that wars are often fought in order to prop up the weak. The practice of pre-emptive attacks of war, and civil war, are neatly deconstructed by Rushdie. With his heavy criticism of so many institutions, the author seems to suggest that not only no one is safe in any social strata, but also no one is particularly noble. In light of what the author has seen in his life, we understand why he comes to the conclusions he does about human nature.

On a decidedly less serious note, there are frequent moments of hilarious banter in the dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed the very unroyal way each king spoke.

Continuing with his examination of society: another great point the author makes, built on the premise that the victors write all the history, is that we can never know the exact intent of each account giver. And there is always subjectivity in reporting what happened. What we can know, is that no tale exists of any kind that doesn't make somebody mad.

As for art, poetry, song, the author champions their worth. Simpler, yet more profound than tales, they represent expression of all kinds, the work of an unstifled people. This requires some openness among the citizenry, however, and that is the stumbling block for most. The repudiation of prudishness is bound to unnerve those who are most comfortable with boundaries. The "anything goes" approach is not necessarily a great way to lead a society, and the author deftly enumerates why. The rules need to find a comfortable balance which makes the general public okay with them.

In addition, people need immediate clear direction, not waffling. Good leadership leads. If one must make an unpopular decision, it's best not to delay.

As to the related subject of social equality (let alone equity) it cannot be gained without struggle. People find it difficult to accept the dismantling of structures they've known, and replacement with new ones. Most men are fine with women having the right to do what they want, but only if it doesn't cost them in any way.

So, how do leaders get all the factions in a society to work well together? They need to identify as being on the same team. Even widespread adoption of shared symbolism isn't nearly enough to create the societal cohesion necessary for even a near-utopia, however. The twin forces of tradition and superstition have to be folded in. Repression just leads to division.

Part II of the saga turns a bit delirious and fanciful, but also thoroughly enjoyable. As the narrator points out, the truth of a story is in the strength of its telling. Honestly, part of this section really appealed to me. The use of spiritual power is done with humility, a reverent respect for nature, and the responsibility not to upset the balance in the ecosystem. The first part of Part II is so idyllic, I wanted to spend more time there, but of course, the personifications of colonization, industrialization, and rapacious abuse of environmental resources, had to rear their ugly heads.

As mentioned before, There are echoes of many other stories within this epic tale: the Biblical Babylonian exile, the whirlwind taking up Elijah, the perilous winged flight of Daedalus and Icarus, the appearance of the burning bush to Moses, the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael, the hiding of Joshua by Rahab, the rise and fall of the Roman and Egyptian empires, and an extremely thinly-veiled reference to the Renaissance. There's even a clear reference to the recent incident in which a Russian protestor held up a blank piece of paper, and still got arrested.

Back to Victory City, the leader learns the hard way: fascism tends to crop up in a power vacuum, yet it also breeds the rebellion against it. This is when Pampa Kampana finally allows herself some rare self-reflection which quickly turns to self-criticism. She knows that the most important thing is to know who you are, and she worries that she's not much more than a somewhat benevolent (and super manipulative) vampress. Fortunately for her, she meets a man whom I believe to represent the spirit of Fernando Pessoa. (In a wonderful inversion, this Fernão Paes doesn't take on multiple personas like the great Portuguese poet, but instead tells the tall tales of others. This is reminiscent of how Pampa is an inversion of the sorceress in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and certainly the Lion King in this story is no Anselm.

Keeping up with our Easter eggs of hidden references to fairy tales and myths, we actually have a reference to Sleeping Beauty. Ha! That slayed me. Sleeping Beauty (Pampa Kampana) is revived on an auspicious day in 1509, when the Vijayanagar Empire of King Shree Krishnadevraya is established in India. (Henry VIII's reign also starts at the same time.) Known as King of the Lion Throne, he has an unbeatable champion in his nod to Goliath. You'll have to read the story to find out just how unbeatable the giant is.

This is when the references come in at a fast clip and I have to resort to more guesswork than in the first half of the novel. I believe the character of Niccolò de' Vieri is a stand-in for Leonardo da Vinci, especially with the obvious connection to Venice. The character of Hector Barbosa is the murkiest reference for me, possibly modeled on Hayreddin Barbarossa, a Turk, who was the admiral of the Ottoman Empire navy under Suleiman the Magnificent. The sultan connection and the wide travel fit the pattern, but who knows?

There is one last act, reminiscent of the King of Judah, Zedekiah, which sets the stage for the sun setting on an empire. The King, like Lear, learns his lessons too late. It is an example of how stubbornness can create the fire of malice which burns the perpetrator as much as it does the victim.

Pampa, like the survivor she has always been, learns to accept help from the most unlikely of places and an even more unlikely person. These are the kinds of miracles which help to right the balance of justice in at least some small way, with the power of found wisdom.

The author's intent is to demonstrate again and again that women birth empires, and men destroy them. And yet, when one has the opportunity to listen more closely than ever before, and carefully reflect, one realizes that it's the stories that matter in the end.

The fanciful outrageousness of this epic saga is eminently entertaining, and floats a smorgasbord of ideas and tenets. Only Rushdie could have written this novel jampacked with so many topics to ponder and so many intriguing characters.

[Cherisa B · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a magical blend of myth and history, Rushdie fuses storytelling with deep insights into how humans are in the world and how no matter the place or the century a story is embedded, we can recognize ourselves and coeval types of people. Until I read the author's acknowledgements, I didn't know he based his story on the Vijayanagar Empire of India's peninsular subcontinent (14-16th centuries), thinking I was reading about a Macondo-like city, magically founded and growing into an empire lasting nearly 300 years rather than merely providing the Buendia family a hundred years of solitude.

The city of Bisnaga rises from seeds scattered by two cowherd brothers that they had been given by a young girl who has been graced with youth and longevity and magical powers by a goddess. Though as readers we know this is true, it becomes part of the myth that she juggles and struggles with over the decades. She whispers personal histories and memories into the new people who populate Bisnaga at its birth, hoping to create within them a willingness to be open, accepting, and loving, not fearful, exclusionary or hateful. Human nature is as it is, and cities and empires swing back and forth between these poles.

A wonderful story peppered with politics, religion, war and peace, motherhood and patriarchy, education, fun, sex, magic and wisdom. A big win from a great writer who should be a Nobel laureate one of these years.

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic tale of the rise and fall of a 14th century Indian empire, Victory City starts as a delightful fable, filled with magic and female empowerment, but devolves into a military history of conquest and succession. Rushdie cleverly frames the story as a discovered ancient text, interrupted by occasional commentary, and offers many insights on human nature. Nevertheless, the story itself is ultimately a sad one.

[Phillip Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is Pampa Kampana's story of the founding of the city of Bisnaga and the history of this place until the final destruction in a brutal apocalyptic war. Pampa Kampana is the avatar of the goddess Pampa who gives her the task of creating a city where there is equality for women and religious tolerance for all. The dream is stolen by a patriarchy that sees these principles as decadence and it eventually seizes power from Pampa Kampana. Salman Rushdie as the target of such a theocratic regime gives this faction many of the characteristics of the one that put a fatwa on him. The regime confines women to home, gives political power to clerics, and has a brutal police force to enforce it's rule. Pampa Kampana has the final word in a manuscript that is the only trace of a city that became a capital of an empire. The main theme of this book is how civilizations rise and fall like people do with only memories and stories left behind.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is nothing wrong with writing maybe the greatest novel of the last 50 years, but never reaching those heights again. There is nothing wrong with your novels becoming less spectacular, less transgressive than the audacious efforts of your youth. It is not sacrilegious to suggest the quality of your work suffered in years of hiding and when not hidden being feted by the rich and famous. I feared that after Salman Rushdie was attacked last year that critics would never be able to judge his work fairly again, not wanting to belittle the sacrifice Rushdie has made for his words, not wanting to besmirch his suffering. When early reviews of VICTORY CITY began to trickle in, they glowed. Tina Jordan of the New York Times scoffed at those who suggested Rushdie’s current work paled compared to his early classics (which felt like a veiled jab at former Time’s critic Parul Segal’s pointed review of QUICHOTTE). A few more critical reviews raised doubts though, and sadly it is the latter who are (at least for me) correct. VICTORY CITY is frankly not good. While QUICHOTTE felt like a caricature of Rushdie, his latest effort feels like it was written by someone else. An admirable attempt to create a fantastic and feminist tale of an Indian past is competent, but there is no magic. There is no playful exuberant humour. It drags and despite efforts to create a remarkable protagonist, Pampa Kampana, her story felt cold, unsure of its point. What hopes to be a grand multigenerational tale of empires and kings, driven by moral goals of equality and justice, felt like a meandering journey I desperately wanted to end. I was not a fan of QUICHOTTE, but at least that was funny. VICTORY CITY fails to give us a single laugh, a shame considering how sly Rushdie's humour can be. I don’t scoff at Rushdie, because he has earned his place in the pantheons of modern literature and is allowed to not succeed in every effort. I to scorn the sycophantic critics reticent to call out a bad book though.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salman Rushdie's take on the epic Indian saga, flavored with magical realism but firmly rooted in his birth country's history.
Pampa Kampana, orphaned by war, powerless, vulnerable, victimized is touched by a goddess in order to create a place where such things won't happen. With her bag of magic seeds, she calls into being Bisnaga, the ironically misnamed 'Victory City'.
It's a story about the pointlessness of political power, prejudice and especially war. It's also about how ideals and noble principles are corrupted over time, a timely message when tolerance and inclusion seem under attack on many fronts.
In the end Pampa/Rushdie argues, it's the story that matters. "Words are the only victors," the book concludes.
The book can be read as a feminist and anti-colonialist work, a satire on contemporary society, an adventure/fantasy, or all of the above. My first book by Rushdie but certainly not the last. -30-

[Neale · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. A great novel, just not as good as his earlier work.

The novel opens with the Jayaparajaya, a twenty-four thousand verse poem written four and a half centuries ago, being found in a buried, sealed clay pot. It was written by Pampa Kampana, a magical, spiritual prophetess who created a city, Bisnaga, from a bunch of seeds.

The ruins left evidence of a city, but the discovery of this poem tells the story of a secret empire that germinated from Bisnaga and the seeds.

We are told that this story will be told by a simple spinner of yarns. A story for everybody.

Pampa Kampana started life as an ordinary child. When the kingdom of Kampila Raya is defeated and the male population all but slaughtered. The surviving women decide to commit a mass suicide by building an enormous bonfire and then walking into the engulfing flames.

“She was nine years old and stood watching with tears in her eyes, holding her dry-eyed mother’s hand as tightly as she could, while all the women she knew entered the fire and sat or stood or lay in the heart of the furnace spouting flames from their ears and mouths; the old woman who had seen everything and the young woman just starting out in life and the girl who hated her father the dead soldier and the wife who was ashamed of her husband because he hadn’t given up his life on the battlefield and the woman with the beautiful singing voice and the woman with the frightening laugh and the woman as skinny as a stick and the woman as fat as a melon”

Pampa is horrified when her mother detaches her hand and joins the women in the conflagration.

When Pampa makes the decision not to join the women, but to live out her life, the goddess Parvati bestows a gift.

“It was at this point that she received the celestial blessing that would change everything, because this was the moment when the goddess Pampa’s voice, as old as Time, started coming out of her nine-year-old mouth.”

But the gift is also a curse.

Nine years later she meets two cowherds, Hukka and Bukka Sangama. She tells them to go to the site where the women sacrificed their lives in the fire. She tells them that the seeds they have with them, okra, beans, and snake gourds are no longer ordinary seeds. They are seeds of the future. She tells them to plant the seeds at the site and the city will grow.

Within an hour of the seeds being planted the city starts to grow before their eyes. However, it is not just the city. Thousands of men and women are born fully grown, emerging from the earth itself.

Although fully grown, at first, they behave like newborn babies, some laying on their backs punching and kicking the air. Like infants, throwing things at each other, the soldiers fighting one another.

What is so interesting about the creation of this city, is that it is what an author does when they create or world-build. They breath life into characters, giving them instant histories and pasts. This, with the power of the goddess, is what Pampa does, she literally whispers memories into the newly born inhabitants. Inhabitants who populate a city which grows to an empire.

Along with this empire come all the problems that inevitably face all empires, especially as they expand. New cultures, new religions, new territory. For an empire to succeed everything must be absorbed and exist in harmony, and again, inevitably, this is the eventual downfall of empires. An empire will eventually reach a size that will be unmanageable for its rulers. The empire’s hegemony will be challenged by the states and territories it controls, civil wars break out and the empire falls. It will always happen, as it has throughout history.

The goddess bestowed Pampa with the gift of longevity, as the years pass, Pampa sees the rise and fall of different leaders, the struggle to maintain power, and on a more personal level, the greed and avarice, the burning desire that will corrupt those seeking that power.

Through this empire, Rushdie explores the inner workings of religion, politics, transfer of power. How tenuous the strands that hold society together truly are. And how it can all come crumbling down. He also addresses the issue of a patriarchal society, as Pampa tries to create a society of equality. While Pampa is ruling as regent, Bisnaga flourishes in a golden period.

I enjoyed this novel very much, it has Rushdie’s “feel” all over it. I know that this book has received very mixed reviews. It must be difficult for Rushdie with the weight of excellence forever burdening his shoulders. That is what happens after you write a novel like "Midnight's Children".

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yes, yes, I know Salman Rushdie is a world revered writer, and I'm glad he has recovered from the assassination attempt on his life, but, sad to say, wandering through the narrative thickets of "Victory City" was like entering one of the countless forests in the book, with no end in sight. One of the most exhausting novels I've ever read. The endless profusion of names, people and places over the 247 years of Pampa Kampana's life became a blur that left me staggering to the end. I felt as old as she was when I turned the last page. Good riddance to Bisnaga.

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2023, Rushdie sets up this story as an epic to match the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, but shares it as a (fictional) translation and retelling in this novel - a retelling the chronicle of the founding, life and end of a 14th century city in southern India, its name Bisnaga - a corruption of the word Vijayanagara, or Victory City. Being Salman Rushdie, the story contains magical realism and allegories - many of which, no doubt I didn't pick up on. It is a story partly inspired by the historical, fourteenth-century princess-poet Gangadevi, and the rise of the real historical empire of Vijayanagara (or Karnata Kingdom) in Southern India.

The epic is called Jayaparajaya meaning 'Victory and Defeat', and is made up of twenty-four thousand verses - hence the need for Rushdie to retell it in a simplified form. The author - Pampa Kampana, who on the first page of the novel is 247 years old, witnesses the destruction of Bisnaga, allowing her to compete the epic, seal it in a jar and finally to die.

Pampa Kampana is the constant in the story - as a nine year old the city she lived in lost a war, its soldiers were slaughtered, the women of the village made an enormous fire and in a mass of self immolation, all committed suicide, including her mother, leaving her alone and terrified. Pampa at this point has a divine encounter with Goddess Parvati who speaks through the body of Pampa, and gives her powers - what Parvati says is of course, the storyline of the novel...

"From blood and fire, life and power will be born. In this exact place, a great city will rise, a wonder of the world, and its empire will last more than two centuries. And you will fight to make sure than no more women are burned in this way, and that men start considering women in new ways, and you will live just long enough to witness both your success and failure, to see it all and tell its story, even though once you have finished telling it you will die immediately and nobody will remember you for four hundred and fifty years."

And so from a sack of seeds the city is created, the people with it, their histories created by Pampa, the two brother - retired soldiers, returned to shepherding - who cast the seed, become the first and second kings of Bisnaga, and from there dynasties are created for 247 years.

There is a 'Game of Thrones' element to it, with intrigues, pacts made and broken, expanding empires and warring between states and kingdoms. Each man raised to king brings different rules around the diversity, identity, and multiculturalism, religion, tolerance and war. As expected love and betrayal provide regular twists in the King's court.

There are many intrigues, many allusions to modern day events. The feminist angle is perhaps clumsily written, but is persisted with over generations. There is many nods to India and Pakistan, division on religious lines, to the mixing of religions, imperialism (in the form of invading pink monkeys), the blending of politics and religion, etc etc.

Make no mistake - this book is not the intricate complexity of his earlier works. For me this was almost Rushdie-light. The story flows easily, without a lot of thinking - in fact Rushdie regularly interrupts his narrative to give a paragraph long explanation for something that might be a little complex for the reader to see, or to explain why he chops out a section of narrative, but still wants the reader to know it happened. As other reviewers allude to, perhaps Rushdie doesn't write the female mind very well, and his work of feminism is not where most women would have gone given the power to shape the life of a city.

This was a very easy read, but an enjoyable one, despite its few flaws.
4 stars

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. 4.5 rating.

This is the story of the Jayaparajaya, an epic tale of the city of Bisnaga, the city of victory, founded by two brothers Hukka and Bukka, two simple cowherds, who later become kings, thanks to Pampa Kampana, who witnessed the self immolation of her mother and all the widows of her old village at the age of nine and, so it never happens again, the goddess Pampa gave her a bag of seeds to give to the cowherds to sew a new city, as well as a few special powers and the ability to slow her aging process so that she could live to the age of 247 years and in doing so was able to put all these words into the Jayaparajaya.

This is a tale full of magic and wonder, wars and tragedy, love and star-crossed lovers, aging and youth, jealousy and bitterness, poetry and fine temples, monkeys and humans, religious men and zeolots, betrayal and trust, goddesses and ghost armies. Did someone say, Remonstrance? Add in a couple of Portuguese travellers and an Italian for some East-West comparisons, and add in a couple of bedtime romps. Kings and queens and royal advisors. Damn, they sure can screw up, can’t they?

It’s a mythical, epic, and grandness of 15th and 16th century India. Thank god, not only do we have a narrator, but we have an editor too commenting on the great poem. Keep us focused. Keep us on the straight and narrow. And tell a few jokes too. Who can keep a straight face with these names, Hukka, Bukka, Chukka, Pukka and Dev? Really.

It is a story about memory and the past, that age old thing that gets told and retold, written and rewritten, and changed along the way. A fabulous tale that mirrors our humanity, or lack of. Empires come and go, rise and fall. And it begs the question, are we blind to history? Or just blind to our humanity? Or just blind?

Words, apart from a few monuments and buildings, are our legacy. These words tell others that we did this, or that we loved, and hated, triumphed and failed, lived and died. Words. Simple, powerful, effective words.

Bravo!

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the last day of her life, when she was two hundred and forty-seven years old, the blind poet, miracle worker, and prophetess Pampa Kampana completed her immense narrative poem about Bisnaga and buried it in a clay pot sealed with wax in the heart of the ruined Royal Enclosure, as a message to the future. Four and a half centuries later we found that pot and read for the first time the immortal masterpiece named the Jayaparajaya, meaning "Victory and Defeat," written in the Sanskrit language, as long as the Ramayana, made up of twenty-four thousand verses
...
This is that story, retold in plainer language by the present author, who is neither a scholar nor a poet but merely a spinner of yarns, and who offers this version for the simple entertainment and possible edification of today's readers, the old and the young, the educated and the not so educated, those in search of wisdom and those amused by folly, northerners and southerners, followers of different gods and of no gods, the broad-minded and the narrow-minded, men and women and members of the genders beyond and in between, scions of the nobility and rank commoners, good people and rogues, charlatans and foreigners, humble sages, and egotistical fools.

Victory City is the latest novel from Salman Rushdie, written before the knife attack on him but published afterwards, and its apppearance, and his survival, is a welcome act of resistance to those who wished to silence his voice.

But I have to assess the novel in purely literary terms. I'm a Rushdie "completist", he's one of less than 20 authors where I've read, and likely will read, all their fiction, but his most recent book before this, The Golden House, was a disappointment. This book is a return to the magic-realism power-of-story telling Rushdie that I prefer to the rather silly modern satire, but ultimately this too was a relative disappointment.

Based on a fantastical alternative history of the real-life kingdom of Vijayanagara empire, rather too much of it feels like Rushdie-by-numbers, and magic realism is used too often a deus-ex-machina to resolve any tricky plot dilemmas starting with one of the most interesting questions for any kingdom, how does it come into being?, where here the answer is 'grown from seeds overnight.' It's only at the 75% point (actually almost exactly that point, as if an editor said 'you're three quarters through and nothing interesting has happened) that some genuine jeopardy seems to enter the plot.

As my real-life twin said in his review, this reads like a Rushdie novel written by ChatGPT - which feels a bit harsh on Chat-GPT, so I thought I'd give it a chance to have it's own go - see below.

Not as annoying as The Golden House, just rather dull - 2.5 stars.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

ChatGPT3:

As we pored over the pages of Pampa Kampana's epic poem, the Jayaparajaya, we felt as though we were excavating a lost world. In her verses, we discovered a rich tapestry of life in the Bisnaga Empire, woven together with threads of war and peace, love and hate, faith and doubt, and everything in between. We were transported back in time, to an era when kingdoms rose and fell, when heroes and villains walked the earth, and when magic and miracles were as real as the air we breathe.

Pampa Kampana's words brought to life a world that was both familiar and strange, a world where men and women battled fiercely for power, where gods and goddesses held sway over mortal affairs, and where the line between truth and lies was often blurred. We saw the beauty of the empire in its grand architecture, its colorful festivals, and its bustling bazaars, but we also saw its darker side, with its corrupt officials, its ruthless rulers, and its oppressed masses.

...

In the year of our lord 1336, the sun rose over the city of Bisnaga, capital of the great Vijayanagara Empire. It was a city unlike any other in the land, a place of wonder and beauty, where towering temples and glittering palaces rose up from the lush greenery of the surrounding countryside. The air was thick with the scents of spices and flowers, and the sound of music and chanting echoed through the streets.

At the heart of the city stood the great royal palace, a sprawling complex of courtyards and halls, where the mighty kings of Vijayanagara held court and dispensed justice. It was said that the walls of the palace were adorned with gold and precious gems, and that the throne room was so vast that a hundred elephants could stand within its walls.

But the true power of the empire lay not in its wealth or its military might, but in the wisdom of its sages and the faith of its people. For centuries, the Vijayanagara kings had ruled with justice and compassion, guided by the teachings of the great Hindu sages and the principles of dharma. They had built schools and universities, patronized the arts and literature, and fostered a culture of learning and inquiry that drew scholars and thinkers from across the land.

And yet, despite all their achievements, the Vijayanagara kings knew that their realm was not invincible. For beyond their borders lay enemies and rivals, kingdoms and empires that coveted their wealth and their power. The Bahmani sultanate, in particular, had long been a thorn in the side of the Vijayanagara kings, launching raids and incursions into their territory and sowing discord among their subjects.

It was in this time of great peril that a blind poet and miracle worker named Pampa Kampana emerged from the shadows, with a vision of a future that could only be realized through the power of words. She began to compose a great narrative poem, a work of staggering scope and complexity that would tell the story of the Vijayanagara Empire from its earliest days to its ultimate triumph over its enemies. It was a work that would take her a lifetime to complete, and would earn her the title of prophetess and sage.

And yet, despite her great accomplishment, Pampa Kampana knew that her work was not done. For she believed that the true power of her poem lay not in the beauty of its language or the richness of its imagery, but in the lessons that it contained, the truths that it revealed about the nature of power and the fragility of empires. And so, on the last day of her life, she buried her manuscript in a clay pot, sealed with wax, and left it for future generations to discover. It was a message to the future, a warning and a hope, a legacy that would endure for centuries to come.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my debut with Salman Rushdie and I am now officially a fan - as I secretly knew I would be, after years and years of having several of his works on my TBR and wishlist. I don’t know why, but other books just kept coming to the top of the pile and Rushdie’s were left waiting. But no more of this. Now I can’t wait to read Midnight’s Children, the Satanic Verses and Joseph Anton, to name just a few.

Victory City is a fantastic epic, written as the annotated translation of an imaginary ancient text found buried in the ruins of the capital of a long extinguished empire. This was inspired by the historical fourteenth- to sixteenth-century Empire of Vijayanagara, named Bisnaga by XVth century Portuguese travellers that are also made into characters in this novel.

I watched an interview where Rushied said he visited Vijayanagara ruins in his 20ies and that these made such an impression on him that he decided he would have to write about them one day. It took him several decades, but the result was well worth the wait. I loved this book, which is a bit of what history is really all about.

‘(…) time has gone by, and that cools all tempers. Also, people forget. History is the consequence not only of people’s actions, but also of their forgetfulness.’

’(…) to turn away from history was to make possible a cyclical repetition of its crimes.’

’How are they remembered now, these kings, these queens?
They exist now only in words.
While they lived, they were victors, or vanquished, or both.
Now they are neither.
(…)
They will be remembered in the way I have chosen to remember them.
(…)
I myself am nothing now. All that remains is this city of words.
Words are the only victors.’

What a beautiful book.

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book began with a magnetic opening. I was fascinated during the first 20%, reading about a woman named Pampa Kampana, who was gifted with magical power by the Goddess Parvati and who was going to live and look young for over 2 centuries.
I couldn’t imagine being able to live that long without suffering immense loss, and perhaps loneliness. The pain of witnessing everyone around you growing old and dying is immeasurable. I was ready to travel a road of drama.
So, yes, I was fascinated by this premise and by the writing.
Unfortunately, after the first 20%, the development of the story became very slow and nothing interesting happened.
There were too many gaps between time, so it felt incomplete.
By 50% I was ready to give up.
The main character, for a demigod, kind of disappointed me. I expected too much from her. She grows a mighty city from a handful of beans and okra seeds; she breathes life into its inhabitants; she handpicks a cowherd as her king; then she goes into a long exile. But, like all other characters, she was not that likeable. And very flat.
Anyways… I can only praise the writing, as I found the storytelling very boring.
The last 25% of the book was better. But this book felt too long for its size.
At least I learned a new word: remonstrance.

e-book (Kobo): 344 pages (default), 106k words
Hardcover (Random House): 352 pages

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great storyteller Salman Rushdie triumphantly returns with a new work of fantasy. The narrator of this story relates a rediscovered epic poem written in Sanskrit by Pampa Kampana, giving the history of her city Bisnaga, created by her own magical powers which were given to her by the goddess who inhabited her. She lives for 247 years and in that time, she sees the empire she created rise, fall, rise again and fall again. 'Words are the only victors.' A great tale of love and adventure and the innate violence of humanity from the master.

I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

All hail Salman Rushdie!!

The amazing author wrote this novel prior to the attack in NYC. I was fortunate to receive an ARC ahead of publishing date.

Victory City is classic Rushdie - an epic tale based on Indian lore.
The book focuses upon Pampa Kampana - a young girl gifted by the goddess pampa with ability to create the Victory City "Bisnaga" via magic in 14th century India. For 250 years we follow Pampa the women as well as Pampa the goddess a long, multigenerational saga highlighting rulers and turmoil.

I love this book and recommend it to all who want to be swept away in fantasy and myth. Best yet, it's published on my birthday, Happy Birthday to me!

If you like sweeping sagas, beautiful writing and tales of good and evil, Victory City is for you! #RandomHouse