Saleem Sinai
Saleem Sinai is the protagonist of the Booker Prize-winning novel Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. His life is closely intertwined with the events that take place in his homeland of pre- and post-colonial India, and newly created Pakistan and Bangladesh (East Bengal). He is born at the moment in time when India and Pakistan emerge from British rule and lives during the new tumultuous struggles that engulf the new nations following 15 August 1947. Sinai embodies these physical struggles and rifts during, and serves as a metaphor for, the spiritual, religious, political and intellectual traumas of the young nations.
Literary significance
Rushdie's character has been much discussed in literary circles.[1] Midnight's Children is considered by many to be the author's masterwork[2][3] and it has inspired a generation of writers on the subcontinent. Many authors have their work compared to it and their characters compared to Saleem Sinai.[4] and focus on aspects of his complex character.[5] The character has been discussed as being in many ways an autobiographical representation of Rushdie himself.[6]
Character as metaphor for India's history
Saleem Sinai is an Anglo-Indian born at the moment of
India's national newspaper The Hindu noted the success of the novel and the significance of its main character, calling Midnight's Children "an extraordinary literary jewel (it was awarded the Booker of Bookers in 1993, and a host of other prizes), focusing on the fates of two children that are inextricably linked by the hour of their birth, literally 'handcuffed to history'".[3]
Sinai is the product of extra-marital intercourse and is raised by a
The character is borrowed from the draft of an earlier novel called The Antagonist.[8]
Adaptations
In a theatrical version of the novel, Zubin Varla played Saleem Sinai. He said he identified strongly with the story as, "His own family hailed from Bombay's tiny Zoroastrian community, and he grew up in Britain with a sense of cultural alienation similar to that of his character."[9] The performance was done by 20 actors who played the 60 or 70 roles comprising the complex storyline.[10]
See also
References
- ^ The Internet Public Library's Online Literary Criticism Collection Sites about Midnight's Children http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/litcrit.out.pl?ti=mid-335
- ^ a b The Great Books Foundation: Midnight's Children [1]
- ^ a b Sidhva, Shiraz (27 October 2002). "Handcuffed to History". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 September 2018.[dead link]
- ^ Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found Life lessons in a city of hope By Salil Tripathi "The Independent's Review of Maximum City by Suketu Mehta". Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
- ^ Born again: Double parentage in Midnight's Children ""Born Again!"--Double Parentage in Midnight's Children". Archived from the original on 22 August 2002. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
- ^ "Author Salman Rushdie says no more autobiographical characters". 11 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
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(help) - ^ a b Martyris, Nina (20 July 2008). "One more bouquet for Saleem Sinai". The Times of India.
- ISBN 022401823X.
- ^ Inverne, James (5 January 2003). "Midnight Matinee". Archived from the original on 26 October 2012.
- ^ "Handcuffed to History". The Hindu. 27 October 2002. Archived from the original on 30 June 2003.
- ISBN 022401823X.