Victory City, Salman Rushdie’s beautiful, powerful new novel, begins with a wounded little girl. It opens in southern India in the 14th century: in the aftermath of a battle, the widows of the defeated soldiers commit mass suicide by self-immolation. The nine-year-old Pampa Kampana’s father died long before the war, but her mother walks into the fire, and the little girl watches as her flesh is consumed. In that harrowing moment, the spirit of a great goddess enters Pampa Kampana, and her destiny is sealed. She will live for centuries; she will establish a magnificent kingdom, but her triumphs will be tempered by suffering, and her wisdom is the deepest understanding of loss.
Salman’s 15th novel was completed before the dreadful attack that nearly took his life. In August last year, he was about to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state when a man rushed onto the stage and stabbed the author at least a dozen times. Members of the audience helped pull the attacker off, and Salman was airlifted to hospital. Of course, I was horrified by this appalling brutality—as was the whole world—but it was especially affecting as I have been lucky enough to call myself his friend for the past 15 years.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2023-Ausgabe von Harper's Bazaar India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2023-Ausgabe von Harper's Bazaar India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Filler Fatigue
With worries about facial distortion and a shift towards the natural, is it time to sav goodbye to these corrective tweaks?
Mind-Skin Connection
Is il possible for your skincare to communicate with your brain:
Tailored for the Game
Fashion meets sports as U.S. Polo Assn. names Sawai Padmanabh Singh of ol Jaipur’ s royal family its global ambassador.
Reimagined Classic
Louis Vuitton launches the Neverfull Inside Out bag, transforming the icon into a fully reversible tote.
Italian Muse
Guecr's new high jew ellery collection isa stroll through the country’s picturesque gardens.
Co Gs Art Post, Gas Art Pas New CELSIOR Net Lay the show Neking ble e dh PATRON An TH Fotal 24 ANAR Romantics
Romcoms might not have prepared me for modern dating, but they offered a timeless sartorial guide to falling in love.
Making a Case for India's Ingenuity
William Dalrymple says The Golden Road is an extraordinary story but also the most challenging book he has written in the last two decades.
On My Playlist
Playback singer turned indie-pop artiste Dhee talks about music, identity, and empowering a new generation.
Explicitly Bold
The latest lipstick range by Nars is designed to empower wearers with colour and confidence.
Art in a Bottle
The Perfume Library founder Jahnvi Lakhota Nandan believes fragrances are meant to be liberated.