by Salman Rushdie
Even if Rushdie doesn’t want to call that fictitious land Pakistan – the similarities are too obvious. Moreover, the two main antagonists of the novel – Iskander Harappa and Rasa Haidar – resemble clearly Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. You can learn a lot about Pakistan’s march to an almost failed state as it is today.
As you would expect from Rushdie the book is full of magical events. On of them is that Omar has three mothers. Omar later an ally of Iskander Harappa but marries Safija Sinobija the retarded daughter of Rasa Haidar. Bothe symbolizing shame and shamelessness and how violence can arose from both. People’s behavior is so determined by archaic patterns and codes of honor – almost without a chance to escape the situation they live in.
As you would expect from Rushdie the book is full of magical events. On of them is that Omar has three mothers. Omar later an ally of Iskander Harappa but marries Safija Sinobija the retarded daughter of Rasa Haidar. Bothe symbolizing shame and shamelessness and how violence can arose from both. People’s behavior is so determined by archaic patterns and codes of honor – almost without a chance to escape the situation they live in.
Facts:
English title: Shame
Original title: Shame
Published: 1983
