Midnight's Children

by Salman Rushdie

Paperback, 672 pages

Published April 6, 2006 by Vintage.

ISBN:: 978-0-09-957851-2

(48 reviews)

Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India’s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India’s 1,000 other “midnight’s children,” all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.

This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its people–a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Midnight’s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance …

[1]: www.salmanrushdie.com/midnights-children/

79 editions

RexLegendi reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Midnight’s children is de omvattende verwerking van Salman Rushdie (1947) van de postkoloniale periode in India. In 1981 won het de Booker Prize, waarna het nog een paar keer zou worden verkozen tot ‘Booker onder de Bookers’. Ik was ervan onder de indruk, al vrees ik dat een deel van de symboliek me ontging.

Het verhaal begint met de geboorte van Saleem Sinai op 15 augustus 1947 om middernacht, het moment waarop India onafhankelijk wordt. Rushdie beschrijft vervolgens in het eerste deel de familiegeschiedenis van Saleem. Daar zitten opmerkelijke verhalen tussen, zoals de ontmoeting van zijn grootouders: omdat oma klachten blijft verzinnen, keert opa als dienstdoend arts telkens terug, al mag hij haar slechts van achter een laken met een gat erin onderzoeken. Vervolgens beschrijft Rushdie in het tweede en derde deel de jonge jaren van Saleem, die samenvallen met de grote gebeurtenissen in India, in het bijzonder de burgeroorlogen waaruit Pakistan en Bangla Desh voortkomen.

Net als 1000 andere kinderen die in hetzelfde uur geboren zijn – een verwijzing naar de verhalen van duizend-en-een-nacht van Sjeherazade – is Saleem begiftigd met een superkracht: hij heeft telepathische vermogens. De krachten zijn zowel een zegen als vloek: als kinderen van de tijd is hun lot verbonden aan dat van het land. Door de hoge mate van magische realteit die Rushdie in zijn historische verhaal verwerkt, is het boek wel vergeleken met [b:One Hundred Years of Solitude|21032147|One Hundred Years of Solitude|Gabriel García Márquez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586182160l/21032147.SY75.jpg|3295655] van Gabriel García Márquez.

Het taalgebruik van Rushdie is rijk en inspirerend. Eén van de geestigste personages vond ik Padma, die Saleem voortdurend van commentaar voorziet bij het schrijven van zijn memoires. Daarentegen schoot het verhaal te vaak heen en weer, waardoor ik soms de draad kwijtraakte of de significantie van een passage me ontging. De verbinding van het persoonlijk leven van Saleem met de geschiedenis van India is interessant. Toevallig las ik onlangs [b:jl.|36892458|jl.|Anjet Daanje|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591608126l/36892458.SY75.jpg|58653239] van Anjet Daanje, waarin het leven van een Groninger aan de wereldgeschiedenis is gekoppeld.

Dit jaar won [b:The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida|57224204|The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida|Shehan Karunatilaka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658847734l/57224204.SY75.jpg|89565815] van de Sri Lankese schrijver Shehan Karunatilaka de Booker Prize; de International Booker ging naar [b:Tomb of Sand|58703758|Tomb of Sand|Geetanjali Shree|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628126156l/58703758.SY75.jpg|92372547] van de Indische Geetanjali Shree. Mede dankzij Rushdie heb ik zin me aan die werken te wagen.

Sharyl reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This celebrated novel has been reviewed so many times already that mine will seem superfluous. So, these are simply some thoughts I had...

Rushdie's use of magical realism and humor soften what is actually a devastatingly sad story. Having Saleem tell his story to another person (Padma) makes it possible for Rushdie to occasionally remind his readers of what has come before without sounding redundant. The story also skips around in time, and involves many people. It's a family saga and historical novel which handles religion, politics, love, hate, envy, revenge,caste, food, poverty, fear, and hope. There are many fascinating tales contained within this novel.

Rushdie has an intriguing storytelling style, the way he weaves all of Saleem's past lives together into the entire tapestry of one man's life. In the beginning, when Saleem first starts to tell his stories to Padma, I assumed that he was an old man. …

magije reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

First 50 pages are hard work, but if you do get through them and a hundred or so more, you will be awarded with a brilliant and magical, sometimes a bit frustrating read, that's definitely worth it.

markm reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Chosen as the Booker Prize winner of all Booker Prize winners. Magical realism in India and Pakistan. Not for me, for some reason. It took me forever to read this.

Joerg reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A fantastic book - the magic of narrative and the exuberance of words are so ingenious, it doesn't even matter if you don't know enough about the history of India and Pakistan to make sense of everything. Even more, now I want to learn more about the actual history to understand more.

cessie reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

No rating

group read starting in March2012

A. Rivera reviewed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Review of "Midnight's Children" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Here is another I read while in graduate school. I recall it was one of the best books I read, but it was also a heavy book, with a lot to consider and study. I was interested back then in looking at the magic realist elements. I was rushing to read it, since I had other books and assignments. The paper turned out ok, but not the best I have written. I basically wished I had more time to give this book its due. This is definitely one I will have to reread at leisure someday. It is probably Rushdie's best.