Salman Rushdie: Shalimar The Clown

[abecedarian]

I just started this and am really enjoying it. My main quibble at the moment is Rushdie's overuse of the f-word and penchant for vulgarities.
Any comments?

 

[nightwalker]

I tend to get putoff by such things if I see them more than once or twice - let alone all the time. There are various ways of handling foul language, like f*** or f--k, that some authors I've seen use. Would such a thing work for you?

In adult novels, it's practically impossible to avoid such words without making the characters appear unreal.

 

[Dogmatix]

This is an older thread but I've just finished Shalimar the Clown and thought I would give some form of a review.

(Be kind this is my very first review)

First off, I really enjoyed this book. Initially, I was hesitant to read it because I know nothing about Muslim/Hindu culture, jihad, the Middle East. You name it, I'm ignorant. Also the name Salman Rushdie put me off because of all the hullabaloo over the Satanic Verses.

However, I put my doubts aside and picked up this book last week. I'm glad I did. The story revolves around a Muslim boy, a tightrope walker, self named Shalimar the Clown. Shalimar lives in an idyllic village in the paradise of Kashmir. His family lives side by side with Hindus, Sikhs and Jews in their perfect corner of the world. Shalimar falls in love with a young Hindu girl, and the village stands by their union despite religious differences.

Outside of their peaceful existence India and Pakistan are fighting over Kashmir in what inevitably escalates into a religious war. Muslim -vs. - Hindu and the outside world ekes its way into their perfect lives. The villagers try to keep true to their mantra of Kashmir for Kashmiris but they cannot hold off the onslaught. Shalimar and his Hindu bride are separated by her betrayal and he turns to militant Muslim factions fighting for Pakistan to focus his anger.

An interesting and important background story revolves around the U.S. Indian ambassador, who was a famous Jew during the French Resistance during World War II and is assasinated by Shalimar in the very first scene of the book

This book is captivating and poignant. The story of Shalimar is flawlessly interwoven with the story of Kashmir's struggle. As a reader with virtually no background info on the history in this story, I had no problem understanding the political posturing, religious extremism, and military actions described. It's is really a beautiful and sad story and I would highly recommend it.

 

[abecedarian]

Looks like a fine review to me! Like you, the sum of all my knowledge about India, Pakhistan, and Kashmire would have easily fit inside a child's thimble. The book did help some in that regards. While it wasn't my favorite book of the year, I will most likely try another Rushie title someday.

 

[abecedarian]

Looks like a fine review to me Doc! Like you, the sum of my knowledge of India, Pakhistan, and Kashmir prior to reading Shalimar the Clown would have easily fit inside a child's thimble. Reading the book helped a bit, I think. While not my favorite book of the year, I definately would try another Rushdie title someday. I found Shalimar difficult to follow at times, and had a hard time liking any of the characters. Still, the story is very dramatic and helped me understand the culture better.

 

[Dogmatix]

I liked the fallibility of the main characters. The were all principled when it was easy to be. But like most humans they couldn't hold up under such extreme pressure. What seemed so clear in their little idyllic village became grossly muddled and distorted when exposed to the world outside of Kashmir. I found the deaths of the peripheral characters in the village very touching; how each of them privately and communally struggled against the Indian army and the Pakistan/Muslim militia groups.

 

[beer good]

So I finished this a couple of hours ago. Overall, I really liked it, even if it's not the best I've read of Rushdie's. Considering he's written what is possibly one of the best opening scenes of a novel ever - Gibreel and Saladin plummeting from the sky in "The Satanic Verses" - "Shalimar" takes an awful long time to get going (even if he does set the stage by referring to Shakespeare, "Arabian Nights" and "Ghostbusters" on the first page; there's Rushdie for ya, mixing ancient myths and modern pop culture as if they were both just as valid). Once it does, though, it turns out to be far better than his last novel ("Fury", which was light-weight not only because it was so short). It's a book about Kashmir, but in true Rushdie fashion he spins it into something much larger than that. The effects of "an eye for an eye", with all characters having flaws etc... he adds a lot of depth and gray areas to conflicts, something which is sorely needed these days. Even if he does tend to go a bit overboard on the magical realism at times (the snakes? come on.)

One thing I kept wondering about was the subject of names. Every single character in the book changes his or her name at least once, and thereby also their role in the story. Noman becomes Shalimar, Kashmira becomes India (and then Kashmira again), Bhoomi becomes Boonyi, Max has a number of pseudonyms, etc etc etc. What does everyone else say, what's the significance of that?

Shalimar The Clown is the title character in an ensemble cast. Rightly so, even if he's far from the most sympathetic of them; the image of humour dying in the face of fanaticism is way too important to brush under the carpet. The clown becomes a fool.