Rushdie is a multifaceted person, playing the roles of the most prominent novelist, essayist, travel writer, screenwriter and a critic of post colonial
issues. He has also received many awards for his master pieces. One of them is The Arts Council Writers' Award and Booker prize for Fiction for his
fantasy novel Midnight's
Children. Rushdie is a controversial writer of the 20th century whose works are full of nostalgic memories and hopes. With the arrival of Salman Rushdie on the literary scene, a revolution was created in the field of Indian English fiction. In his novels, he depicts a society which is in a dilemma between fantasy and reality. Fantasy gets a new dimension through Rushdie's narrative skill.
His novel Midnight's Children (1981) brought him international fame. This
Book is a kind of allegory of Indian history. The title of the novel emerged from a speech delivered by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at the stroke of midnight of 14th August 1947, while getting Indian independence. The
story of the novel deals with a period of seventy years of contemporary Indian history. The cultural richness of India in the mid-seventies is represented in this novel. This book is translated in many Indian languages. The novel covers issues of politics, religion and fantasy. The novel is divided into three parts -- Book I and II depict the culture of Bombay; Book III the political changes in the Indian sub continent.
Narration in Midnight's Children takes the form of dialogue between two persons: Saleem and Padma. The narrator tells so many stories within stories interwined with too many events, miracles, magic, etc., through which he mingles the improbable and the realities. The final part of the story is left to the audience Padma through whom he insists on the readers. The narrative of the novel moves geographically through three nations, namely, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The novel not only deals with political issues, but also cultural and historical issues. Midnight's Children portrays the life and experience of Saleem Sinai, who is the protagonist and narrator of the story to the listener Padma. His childhood is a chain of unhappy and poignant events and happenings through which he gains the readers' sympathy. The story begins like a tale with the line "One Kashmiri morning in the early spring of 1915" (Midnight's Children, P. 4). Saleem Sinai narrates the story of his grandfather Aadam Aziz who hits his nose on the ground while praying and takes a promise never to bow down thereafter. The story revolves round Saleem and the 1000 other children born after the declaration of independence. All of the children who were born at the stroke of midnight are given some magical property. In Book III, Saleem forgets everything about his past, including his name. Throughout the novel, strange, mysterious and wonderful adventures take place. When Saleem loses his way in the Sunderbans, a snake bites him and kills his forgetfullness instead of killing him. Towards the end, Saleem transforms all his hopes on his son Aadam Sinai, who represents the new generation. This book is an extraordinary representation of Indian history and politics mingled with fantasy. It brought Rushdie name and fame. With the arrival of Salman Rushdie on the literary scene, a revolution was created in the field of Indo-Anglian fiction. Fantasy gets a new dimension in his novels.
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