August / Rushdie Reading: Midnight's Children

[papayahed]

Hope I didn't forget anything...

[papayahed]

I'm on page 3.

[NickAdams]

I found Midnight's Children on the sidewalk- left for the department of sanitation- two years ago.

I enjoy the metafictional format of the work. Nothing original about his prose, but interesting incidents make up fo that. I love his grandparents courtship. Funny stuff. Reminds me of Hundred Years of Solitude in its hyperbole.

I enjoy Saleem's and Padma's position as Greek chorus; it has a lot of potential for humor, That Rushdie doesn't exploit- very natural.

I also found the assassination interesting.

Then there's the underground man!

[NickAdams]

Anybody else reading this book?

[papayahed]

I've made it to page 5. I'm having a hard time keeping track of what is going on between the mother, Adaam, and the chick behind the sheet.

[NickAdams]

I can't keep track of the characters, but I'm reading witout pause. I'll clarify it all when I'm done. Because Adaam is the Grandfather. :)

[papayahed]

Is Padma Adaam's mother?

[NickAdams]

Padma is Saleem's lover. Saleem is Adaam's grandson.

[applepie]

I'm likely to get my copy in the next couple of days. I've been trying to get through To the Lighthouse and I've given up on that. Instead, I'm going to participate in this reading.

[NickAdams]

Yeah! It's been only Papayahed and myself. I thought there were more voters who were interested.

[papayahed]

Yeah! It's been only Papayahed and myself. I thought there were more voters who were interested.


It's always like that...

And I must admit I haven't been much help so far...Although it is getting better, the first couple of pages were a bear.

[Scheherazade]

Depair no more boys and girls! Got my copy from the library today and read the first page already.

Yay me! :D

[spoilers4me]

Count me in NickAdams.

I happened upon this site while looking for something good to read and decided to join in on the August read. I picked up my copy of "Midnight's Children" from the library August 4th and I've been plugging away at it since.

I thought I may give up for awhile but after reading so many posts about finishing I have decided to carry on. I am on page 115 and things are getting quite interesting.

I hope to complete the novel and join in on the September read as well.

I enjoy the site I'm just not much of a poster.

[NickAdams]

I thought of giving up myself. I took a break to read, A Clockwork Orange and A Moveable Feast, but I'm back. I have a good feeling there is going to be quite the payoff.

[Pensive]

*takes a deep breath*

Yeah. Here I am. Last night, I completed about seventy pages and have so far loved the book. It's very interesting. The whole Naseem-Adam affair is fascinating. The point where Ghani ordered his daughter to throw off her Naqaab and declared Adam and Naseem young lovers made me have a fit of laughter. According to Islam, a woman has to cover it all in front of na-mahram (other than father, grandfathers, uncles and lovers), before her marriage. And Naseem was not married yet. But I think this whole points to this fact too that the women in even naqaab behind it start affairs. And find as Adam's mother put it well-educated and well-earning men. Eh, appearances only! Social creed too.

Naseem and Adam's days after marriage have been interesting to read. Again things which I found funny (some in a black-humour-ish way). Naseem's thinking about Western women (as she in her second wedding night calls them 'bad word women') doesn't seem to be different from some of the South Asian women today, yes, in 2007.

Now comes the part of Adam and Naseem's children - I enjoyed this part a lot too. When Adam stops their Maulvi Sahab, Naseem's reaction was as I had expected it to be. I think Adam is torn between believes. He wants to show himself as a modern Muslim man but he has to ignore some teachings of Islam in this way. Or perhaps I am wrong. Did anyone else get this feeling too? Anyway, back to Adam's children, Mumtaz being dark and mostly unloved by mother made me a bit sad. And then the way her marriage took place (I had a slight idea that Nadir wouldn't be there long because before that it had been mentioned somewhere that the eldest sister had to leave Sinai). Well, one sister had to sacrifice her love and the other got it. I am yet there. I wonder what happens next.

I have a question for those who can't understand Urdu/Hindi, how are you able to get through words like ghonday, purdah, chutney or chaprassi? I am very curious. There are many words and even references like this in the book which I think must be difficult to understand for non-natives.

[NickAdams]

I have a question for those who can't understand Urdu/Hindi, how are you able to get through words like ghonday, purdah, chutney or chaprassi? I am very curious. There are many words and even references like this in the book which I think must be difficult to understand for non-natives.


I ignore them I thought I might be missing something plot driven, but maybe I'm missing something more poetic, which would be the reason I don't find the prose original. Am I missing something Pensive?

70 pages! You got through in a night, what I've been working on for two weeks. I did take breaks for two other books and now hooked on the noble knight of La Mancha.:(

[Pensive]

I ignore them I thought I might be missing something plot driven, but maybe I'm missing something more poetic, which would be the reason I don't find the prose original. Am I missing something Pensive?

Nah, I don't think you are missing something very important or related to the plot. But if you feel curious about any word or expression, you can always discuss it here. I would like to be of some sort of help. :) And there are always free Urdu-English electronic translators too (though I think they are very hard to find)!

I can also understand what would make you feel this way that the prose is not orginal. The manner of speech is according to an Indian's style. Even when translated, author has to show the dialogues according to the style of the place he is writing about, and Indian style I think is quite different from West. For example, I remember Naseem using 'whatsitsname' as her leitmotif and this leitmotif is quite common amongst where I live (I am myself used to saying it, oh in Urdu though). I have never come across such a pet-phrase in any English novel or have never heard/read it spoken/written by a foreigner! Or even if it has come somewhere before, I am quite sure this wouldn't be much included in the daily conversation. And I can understand if this looks a bit weird to people from other culture.

It's really difficult to write in Urdu style an English book and portray India's culture through the dialogues translated in English. Seeing that, it seems as if Rushdie has done an awesome job!


70 pages! You got through in a night, what I've been working on for two weeks. I did take breaks for two other books and now hooked on the noble knight of La Mancha.:(

Oh I think it depends on how much you 'get into' the book. My will was to read To The Lighthouse but I couldn't bring myself into it, and after completing about half of it (and I did force that completed half on me), I could not bring myself to read more of it.

I hope you get into it after some period. In the start anyway, I don't think Tai's character is very interesting but after estimatedly ten to fifteen pages, things get far more interesting!

[papayahed]

I ignore them I thought I might be missing something plot driven, but maybe I'm missing something more poetic, which would be the reason I don't find the prose original. Am I missing something Pensive?


I've been ignoring them also, but only because every time I've come across them I've been in places where I can't get to the internet/dictionary.

[Scheherazade]

I usually ignore such words as well and most of the time they are used in a manner that it is possible to guess the meaning from the text. It is my belief that no author would use such words/references without leaving clues about their meanings (they wouldn't like to alienate the readers after all).

I don't think they are any more important than an unfamiliar English word one comes across, anyway.

I haven't read much yet but so far, I have been enjoying it.

Nick> I am very reminded of HYOS as well (though Marquez' prose is superior to Rushdie's, I think).

[NickAdams]

For example, I remember Naseem using 'whatsitsname' as her leitmotif and this leitmotif is quite common amongst where I live (I am myself used to saying it, oh in Urdu though).

I've only used it when I couldn't remember the name of the thing I was refering to: "I used a whatsitname for the-"



Nick> I am very reminded of HYOS as well (though Marquez' prose is superior to Rushdie's, I think).

I agree. Rushdie does use some fine metaphors though. I enjoyed the assassination and the moon and cresent knives bit. The rubies and diamonds bit in the beginning I didn't care for though.

[applepie]

I'm not sure if I'll be able to join this time or not. I checked the library and all three copies are checked out:bawling: I put it on hold, but it might be a couple of months before I ever get it.

[NickAdams]

I'm not sure if I'll be able to join this time or not. I checked the library and all three copies are checked out:bawling: I put it on hold, but it might be a couple of months before I ever get it.

Whenever you get it whatsitname, I'll be here to discuss it.;)

[applepie]

Whenever you get it whatsitname, I'll be here to discuss it.;)

Did you call me whatsitname????:lol::lol::lol: Meg works just fine:D I've been meaning to see if there is a way to change my user name without opening an entirely new account, but I haven't gotten to asking yet.

[Pensive]

Nick> I am very reminded of HYOS as well (though Marquez' prose is superior to Rushdie's, I think).

Haven't tried Marquez yet but found in the back cover some part of a review from The Times:

'I haven't been so continuously surprised by a novel since I read 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'.


agree. Rushdie does use some fine metaphors though. I enjoyed the assassination and the moon and cresent knives bit. The rubies and diamonds bit in the beginning I didn't care for though.

Yeah, interesting metaphors but sometimes get confusing. I have completed a few more pages and what have impressed me the most are the dialogues! Quite informal and lively. Description is good too. Characters also interesting. In fact, I am liking everything in the story yet.

[quasimodo1]

Isn't anyone on this thread concerned about the fatwah factor?

[Pensive]

Isn't anyone on this thread concerned about the fatwah factor?

I think that was mainly because of The Satanic Verses, wasn't it? *confused*

[Scheherazade]

Isn't anyone on this thread concerned about the fatwah factor?Could you be more specific please, Quasimodo?

[Pensive]

I have completed about forty more pages. Would have to say the book looks fantastic. What I like is that Rushdie, during the Independence time, has seemed to make it clear that from both sides there were extremists. Ravanas as well as Muslim extremists. The whole description of what was happening around in 1947 seems very realistic, very much like the tales I have been hearing from my grandfather and reading in digests.

I liked it when Mumtaz (now Amina) saved a Hindu's life. The meticulous and assiduous Amina is my favourite character yet! How interesting to read!The whole situation of her going to the fortune-teller was simply interesting. Would have to say once again the metaphors used in this book are also amazing, very different from those used in most of the books I read.

Noticed one thing in these later pages, the whole sentences which are in Urdu are later translated too, fully in English. :)

Now I am wondering what will happen next.

[Pensive]

First two hundred pages are done! Veeery veeeeery interesting. How could have I missed so much when the last time I read it! Oh well, perhaps I have forgotten a lot of it.

Brass Monkey is very interesting! Like Padma, Saleem being not his parents' child (though he would deny it and perhaps I shouldn't say that!) hit me, hadn't expected it.

*edit to add*

By the way, can anyone yet understand what exactly Padma is when it comes to her relation with Saleem Sinai? She seems to be either his wife/girlfriend to me?

[NickAdams]

By the way, can anyone yet understand what exactly Padma is when it comes to her relation with Saleem Sinai? She seems to be either his wife/girlfriend to me?

I say lover. Fiance?

[Pensive]

I say lover. Fiance?

Probably. *wonders when the mystery would be exactly revealed*

So far, I have been very much fascinated by the description of Midnight's Children. Got confused at first but later it made sense when I realised S.R was once again talking in metaphors.

I wonder what you people think about it. :)

[Scheherazade]

So, I am still *trying to* read this one. I am very, very, very disappointed with it so far. Couldn't get into the story.

[Pensive]

So, I am still *trying to* read this one. I am very, very, very disappointed with it so far. Couldn't get into the story.

Oh, why?

[Ron Price]

It may be somewhat pretentious to compare one's writing with a successful novelist, but I find that influences on my work comes from many quarters.
-Ron Price, George Town, Tasmania:yawnb:
__________________________
SWIRLING

When I was working in a tin mine on the west coast of Tasmania in 1981/2 at one of the dirtiest but emotionally challenging jobs I’ve ever had, Salmon Rushdie was catapulted to literary fame. I think I may have come across his name on the morning news before going to work on the bus and usually in the dark and the rain, for it nearly always rained on the west coast of this beautiful island state of Australia. News of Rushdie and his Midnight’s Children(1981) was the beginning of his story in the narrative that is my own life and, over twenty-five years later, I still follow the writing and life of this acclaimed and controversial writer.

Yesterday I listened to an interview on ABC radio1 with this Indian-British novelist and essayist, this Muslim-born and self-proclaimed atheist around whom have been swirling literary and political issues, especially since the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses(1988). I had left the tin mine by 1988 and was living in what is arguably the most isolated city on the planet, Perth, Western Australia. The comparisons and contrasts between Rushdie’s writing and mine I found helped to place my own work in a useful personal perspective. This first of a series of prose-poems examines these comparisons and contrasts.-Ron Price with thanks to “The Book Show,” ABC Radio National, 21 April 2008, 10:05-11:00 a.m.

I tell stories, too, Salmon
but I don’t draw on the
deficit model of history1
in the same way as you.

I, too, subvert linear history
with spacial, sacred, circular
and fragmented models, far
more transnational, not the
discreet national-local story
here, more the flickering film
of a phenomenal world where
a sense of unity is demanding
fulfilment on a tide of desire
for an outward and political
form mounting to a flood, to
a climax in these tempestuous
times of troubles and woes.

Writing for me was a second
choice, too, Salmon, after I
realized I could not make a
career of baseball and life
wore me out with forty years
of endless talking and listening
among other slings and arrows
of life’s outrageous fortune.

1Camilla Nelson, “ Faking It: History and Creative Writing,” TEXT: Vol. 11, No.2, 2007.

Ron Price
22 April 2008

[wessexgirl]

It's Salman. :(

[Ron Price]

My belated thanks, wessexgirl...Ron in Tasmania