Victory City

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

In the wake of an insignificant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga - literally 'victory city' - the wonder of the world.

Over the next two hundred and fifty years, Pampa Kampana's life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga's as she attempts to make good on the task that the goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and as years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, Bisnaga is no exception.

'Salman Rushdie's exuberant writing remains a source of pleasure . . . A vibrant, sweeping tale' Independent

'This book is a total pleasure to read, a bright burst of colour in a grey winter season' Sunday Times

She will whisper an empire into existence - but all stories have a way of getting away from their creators . . .

© Salman Rushdie 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

Critics Review

  • In its haunting, uncanny, predictive power Victory City shows once again why his work will always matter.

    New York Times

  • A novel by a man who still, in his eighth decade, derives delight in his talent and all that he can do with it. The book is a total pleasure to read, a bright burst of colour in a grey winter season.

    Sunday Times

  • A joyfully extravagant alternative Mahabharata… a mashup of myth and fairytale, comedy and melodrama, celebrating women’s agency and the enduring power of storytelling.

    Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2023*

  • Victory City is full of life and colour, and some of Rushdie’s key themes: female strength, the importance of storytelling, the danger of censorship.

    Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*

  • What of Rushdie’s powers? We cannot know if they are god-given, but on the evidence of this profoundly entertaining tale… Rushdie certainly still has the gift of alchemy.

    Financial Times

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