Haroun and the Sea of Stories
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| 1991 Penguin paperback edition cover | |
| Author | Salman Rushdie |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Magic Realism Novel |
| Publisher | Viking Books |
| Released | November, 1990 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 218 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-670-83804-7 |
Haroun and the Sea of Stories (ISBN 0-613-49563-2) is a 1990 novel by Salman Rushdie. It was Rushdie's first novel after The Satanic Verses. It is a phantasmagorical story set in a city so old and ruinous that it has forgotten its name.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories is an allegory for several problems existing in society today, especially in India and the Indian subcontinent. It looks at these problems from the viewpoint of the preteen protagonist Haroun. It is also interesting to note that Rushdie dedicated this book to his son, Zafar, from whom he was separated for some time.
In 2002, the novel was produced as an audiobook, read by Zia Mohyeddin.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Haroun's father is the famed storyteller Rashid Khalifa, the Ocean of Notions or the Shah of Blah, but his wife tires of his imagination and elopes with Mr. Sengupta, a dull and dreary clerical drone. This leaves Rashid heartbroken, and unable to continue his profession of storytelling. Thus Haroun embarks on a mystical journey to Kahani (meaning "story" in Urdu), a hidden moon of the Earth, in a quest to restore his father's gift of the gab.
On Kahani, stories are everywhere, they make up the ocean (which gives the book its title). However, the evil Khattam-Shud (who's name means "The End", "completely finished") is attempting to poison the sea of stories and render the inhabitants of Kahani silent by plugging the spring of stories (where all stories come from). Haroun, along with various interesting characters such as Iff the water-genie, Butt the mechanical hoopoe, P2C2E (Processes Too Complicated To Explain) House, Mali the floating gardener, and a pair of rhyming fish, set out to stop Khattam-Shud, thus saving Rashid, Kahani, and the stories of the world. He wishes with Wishwater, a magical wish-come-true substance, for the sun to melt the Dark Ship, Khattam-Shud's headquarters, and thus save the stories..read the book.
[edit] Characters
Haroun: Rashid's son and the main character/central consciousness in the story Rashid: Haroun's father, also known the Shah of Blah and the Ocean of Notions
Butt: The bus driver
Butt the Hoopoe: A machine in the form of a Hoopoe and Haroun's transportation in Kahani
Iff the Water Genie: A water genie from Kahani who accompanies Haroun
Blabbermouth: A Page in the Library or army of Gup, a female disguised as a male and Haroun's possible crush.
Mudra: Second-in-command to Khattam-Shud who, along with his shadow, joins Haroun and the land of Gup in the battle against Khattam-Shud.
Khattam-Shud: The Arch-Enemy of all Stories, even of Language itself. He is the Prince of Silence and the Foe of Speech.
Walrus:
[edit] Themes and motifs
The novel uses Urdu extensively for the names of characters and places. There are several not-so-subtle criticisms of the Kashmir dispute and means of handling the situation, and a general refusal to accept hierarchical or patriarchal setups of authority. The novel can also be seen as a critique of censorship. The conflict between the Khattum-Shud and the chupwalas verse the residents of Gup city, can also be seen as a conflict of imagination and fact.
[edit] Adaptations in other media
- A play, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, based on the book was adapted for the stage by Tim Supple and David Tushingham. It had its stage premiere in 1998 at the Royal National Theatre in London.
- An opera, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, based on the book was composed by Charles Wuorinen with libretto by James Fenton. It had its stage premiere in 2004 at the New York City Opera.
- In May 2006, it came to light that Kaavya Viswanathan may have plagarized passages from Haroun and the Sea of Stories in her novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life.
