“Victory City”, 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, is to be released on February 9.
Rushdie, who recently survived a brutal assassination attempt, is the author of 14 previous novels, including Midnight’s Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), The Satanic Verses (which earned him a fatwa) and Quichotte (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize).
Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, the new book, to be released by Penguin Random House, is a saga of love, adventure and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.
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 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.
