We're back with another towering work from one of the most noteworthy names in modern literature. *Midnight's Children,* published in 1981, is considered the seminal work from Indian-British writer, Salman Rushdie. The novel is what some describe as magical realism, though Rushdie prefers self describes as a "Surrealist" author. In the novel we follow one narrator and protagonist, Saleem Sinai, through the turbulent years of India's transition from British colonial rule to independence and partition. It is rich postcolonial, postmodern, self-reflexive work which strives to preserve history by way of story, rather than facts and data. The novel not only won the Booker prize for fiction in 1981 but was dubbed "Best of the Bookers" twelve years later. If you appreciate Jose Luis Borges, Neil Gaiman, surrealist/magical realism, or high-literature you will likely enjoy this tome. Don't let our meandering conversation steer you wrong — this one is a must read. We hope you enjoy ✌️

*Episode Notes*

0:00 - Intro and Casting

3:00 - Our lack of historical perspective for India and Pakistan

5:00 - On surrealism and Salman Rushdie’s masterclass

7:30 - Significance and historicity of Midnight’s Children

11:30 - Comparable books and Plot Summary

15:00 - Motifs and Plot Summary

25:00 - On Saleem’s Family and other Characters

29:00 - Saleem’s reliability as a narrator

33:00 - Shiva as a character and myth

38:00 - Nature and nurture in the novel

42:00 - The multi-genre nature of the novel

43:45 - Multi-culturality of India

48:30 - Wholeness and fragmentation

51:00 - Religion and conflict in the novel

56:00 - The beauty of fiction versus facts

58:00 - Closing sequence

1:01:00 - On Memory as a theme

1:06:00 - History and Rushdie’s main thesis

1:11:00 - Literary style of the novel

1:15:00 - Overall thoughts on the book

1:21:00 - Self reflexive artWebsite

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