An epic tale with a message for us all- our power is fleeting, but our stories last forever. This is Salman Rushdie at his best. A magical realist feminist tale in an historical setting that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries - from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie.
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-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for the goddess Parvati, who begins to speak out of the girl's mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana's comprehension, the goddess 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, from its literal sowing out of a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways- the hubris of those in power. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that Parvati set for her- to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry - with Pampa Kampana at its center.
Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, this is a saga of love, adventure, and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.
About the Author
Salman Rushdie is the author of fourteen previous novels, including Midnight's Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), The Satanic Verses, and Quichotte (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize). A former president of PEN American Center, Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for services to literature and was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen's last Birthday Honours list in 2022.
Industry Reviews
No one, and I mean no one, can bring an entire world to life... like Salman Rushdie.
Gary Shteyngart, Author Of Our Country Friends
It does not resemble any other novel I could name. A major accomplishment by one of our greatest living writers.
Michael Cunningham, Author of The Hours
This is Salman Rushdie at his most virtuosic.
Hari Kunzru, Author Of The Impressionist
Salman Rushdie is a genius and I wish he could read me a story - or a chapter of his book - every night before bed. The scale and scope of his intellect and his imagination is googolplex.
A.M. Homes, Author Of The Unfolding
A capacious and sweeping telling in which writing about the past is a way of also staring dead on at the present.
Natasha Trethewey, Author Of Native Guard
It will show you the adult world in a whole new light. Only a master storyteller can do that.
Jarvis Cocker, Author Of Good Pop, Bad Pop
