Salman Rushdie is not just a writer, he is also both a destiny and a standard of integrity: Despite the death sentence for blasphemy that Khomeini threw at him in 1989, he has stood impressively steady in the fight for freedom of expression and belief. Last year he lost the sight in one eye when he was stabbed while giving a lecture. Do words have power? Ask Salman Rushdie. The big widow’s bonfire And words are central to the novel “Victory City”, but first the town and the action must be placed. We are going to the kingdom of Bisnaga, which according to the novel existed on the Indian subcontinent from the 14th century and 300 years onwards. Unrest plagued the area before the kingdom was founded. After yet another pointless battle, the war widows take action: They light a fire and enter it. Nine-year-old Pampa Kampana stands hand in hand with her mother and looks at the widow’s pyre. Then the mother shakes herself free from her daughter’s grip and walks into the fire – without even saying goodbye. Pampa needs help from higher powers and gets it. A goddess speaks through her mouth and gives her several demanding tasks and predicts that she will live for over 200 years. Pampa Kampana founds Bisnaga in an amazing way and becomes a powerful queen before she falls out of favor and ends up in exile before she – no, this can last… It’s wrong, but it works Throughout her long life, Pampa Kampana writes down the history of Bisnaga in Sanskrit. Just before death, she stuffs “Jayaparajaya”, an epic of 24,000 verses, into a jar which she seals. And thus we are in the midst of what Rushdie’s stories are made of: myths, lies, misunderstandings, grumbles and bits, fabrications, stories, poetry. In the novel, a bookmaker in our own time has got hold of “Jayaparajaya”. The novel is his version of the epic. Yes, Mr. Skronemakar, so you know Sanskrit? The story unravels, from the thin framework story about the Skrønemakren and inwards. For example, Pampa Kampana has whispered family histories and town history into the ears of the inhabitants. These whimsical stories are free imagination, but it works. And further: The town name Bisnaga is based on a misunderstanding. A Portuguese merchant could not pronounce the name “Victory City” in the local language. Bisnaga is wrong…but it works. Pampa Kampana has, in a way, dictated the entire city. Here she wants to create a society where women should have the same rights as men, where everyone should be allowed to believe what they want, where art and literature are valued and where both visitors and neighbors should meet with respect. I’m not revealing too much when I say that in the same way as the puppeteer in the novel “Anger” loses control over his creation, yes, the inhabitants of Bisnaga will also live their own lives independently of Pampa Kampana’s ideas. Well-placed kicks Salman Rushdie sends well-known kicks at religious fundamentalists, power-hungry politicians and ignorant thugs. But when he consistently submits to the notion that there are words that are unequivocal and unchanging through all time, yes, he challenges both religious and political authorities. Without the name being mentioned, it is difficult not to think of the Hindu nationalism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when those who believe in many gods constantly clash with those who believe in one. Here, of course, it is about Hindus and Muslims. The kick comes from a blacksmith who interprets verse to a woman who dictated a city and who gradually has things both to explain away and to take revenge. Words have power, and Rushdie suggests that the reader should meet them with a critical sense. NOTE: Parts of the plot in “Victorian City” draw parallels to India’s current prime minister, the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, believes news’s reviewer. Photo: PRAKASH SINGH / Afp Seen from a great distance, “Victorious City” is virtuoso, clever, instructive and full of literary hints and surprising twists. I am impressed, but not fascinated. Despite a very rich personal register, I hardly get to know anyone. Behind all the names hide small figures with very few characteristics. Skrønemakaren studies from a great distance how they crawl around and act in accord with their nature. OK, Pampa Kampana is an honorable exception. She has several sides. After the formidable start, after the city is in place and the battle for power and positions is under way, there is something mechanical about the action. The novel feels too long, despite the fact that it is under 400 pages. “Words are the only victors,” writes Pampa Kampala at the end of “Jayaparajaya”. But the words are strongest when they bring the characters to life. news reviews Photo: Aschehoug Title: “Victory City” Author: Salman Rushdie Original title: “Victory City” Publisher: Aschehoug Pages: 352 Translator: Kirsti Vogt Date: 17 March 2023 FOCAL POINT ABOUT FATWA: 14 February 1989 Khomeini issues a fatwa over author Salman Rushdie and everyone who had anything to do with the publication of the book. How did publisher William Nygaard experience having a death sentence hanging over him?
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“City of Victory” by Salman Rushdie – Reviews and recommendations
