It’s exotic without being needlessly so, and that helps contribute to an overall spirit of whimsy and discovery. It’s set in a world inspired by Rushdie’s Indian Muslim heritage, with a strong helping of literary references beyond that. To describe this book in one word, I would say that it is mythological. This is a book you can read to kids, because the surface-level action is top-notch and flows smoothly, the wordplay introduces new vocabulary while also adding comic twists on characters, and the deeper subtext is great for discussion and bears deeper themes. Where Rushdie gets things right is in having an ironclad story concept and premise. In it he mentions the conception and the development of Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Amazon affiliate link), and how it related to the very real issues in his life at the time he wrote it.Īs an English teacher I focused heavily on young adult literature, and Haroun and the Sea of Stories is aimed at younger audiences than I typically worked with, but that doesn’t mean that it is devoid of merit.
Salman Rushdie is a significant figure in modern writing, and I recently read his Joseph Anton: A Memoir (my review).
0 kommentar(er)
