Victory City is many things : a parable, a fable, a magic realist epic about a 15th c. Indian empire, a historical fiction from where Rushdie chooses to mythologise.
The story is set in the South Indian medieval kingdom of VIJAYANAGARA , the last great Hindou kingdom of India. Many of the events described by Rushdie are actually recorded in historical archives.
The ruins of the capital are in Hampy, several hundred miles N.W. of formely Bengalore. Other cities like Bijapur are also mentioned in the book.
Salman Rushdie creates a mythological fable in which, most interestingly, he weaves the most modern ideas that refer to our world today.
The main character ( and the red thread of the book) is Pampa Kampana, demi-goddess. She is the survivor of a fallen kingdom , and she is determined to change the course of history.
From a bag of magic seeds, she creates a mighty city, Bisnaga.
Over her 230-year-long life, she writes a fictitious epic « JAYAPARAJAYA », an alternative to the famous MAHABHARATHA and the RAMAYANA ( «3d c. BC- 3d and 4th c. AC ).
The whole story, as told by Pampa Kampana, looks like a treacherous « Game of Thrones » with a thicket of intrigues, rival factions, foreign wars, palace coups… But it also tells us about new ideas, trade with Venice and China, the diversity of cultures . Pampa Kampana pushes for gender equality in a kingdom where women are neither veiled nor hidden.
Pampa Kampana writes her tale to leave something good and lasting behind her wake. Knowing she has to face the natural tendencies of humankind : greed, corruption, religious intolerance, she takes a firm stand against right-wing religious fanaticism, and ensures that the women are entitled as the men to study, work and openly profess their love for whomever they please. This is a very feministic book.
We know that the freedom of speech is of paramount importance for Rushdie and in the world. One of the most compelling passages of the book is : a protestor is handing out pamphlets in the heart of a bazaar. When a squad is sent to arrest him, , they discover that the pamphlets are blank. When the protester is questionned : « why isn’t there any message ? », « there is no need, the protester replies, everything is clear ! »
All empires eventually collapse into dust but « WORDS ARE THE ONLY VICTORS » , Pampa Kampana concludes.
This was not an easy book to read because we are not familiar with long indian epics and mythology. We were often tempted to skip passages … But we were aso amazed at the real sense of humour we encountered in the course of our reading …
Anne Van Calster –July 2023
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