‘Victory City’ Review: A Masterfully Executed Epic

Salman Rushdie’s novel “Victory City” may be one of the most anticipated books of 2023. Rushdie’s 15th novel and the first book published since a failed assassination attempt last August continues to test the waters of religious tradition, this time fictionalizing the history of the Indian Vijayanagara empire. “Victory City” is not only a testament to the author’s resilience in the face of life threatening criticism, but a perfectly executed epic of historical fiction and magical realism.

“Victory City'' follows the story of the birth, glory, and fall of the fictional South Indian empire of Bisnaga. The novel is framed as the common translation of a newly “found text” from the great blind-prophetess-queen, Pampa Kampana, which is discovered half a millennium after her and the empire’s simultaneous deaths. Throughout the text, the translator acts as narrator, interjecting to summarize Pampa Kampana’s digressions and explain what poetic elements can’t be translated into the English language. The narrator denies scholarly credentials and instead claims to be a “spinner of yarns” retelling the story for the “entertainment and possible edification” of all readers. This framework sets up a believable text filled with symbolism, Hindu and Islamic allusions, and a direct critique of social injustice today.

From beginning to end, this book gives a masterclass in foreshadowing and character development. The entirety of the plot is revealed in the first few pages. Pampa Kampana, the protagonist, is introduced as a blind-poet, miracle worker, and prophetess tasked with overseeing the entire life of the empire she is told to create. The city will die in fire in the same way it was born. There will be women warriors and leaders, freedom of sexual expression, liberties like no empire in the world has seen or would see for many more years to come.

Yet the narrative begins with Pampa Kampana as a nine-year-old girl watching her home village burn. This leaves the rest of the book the precarious task of recounting the lifetime of a multigenerational empire through one character’s eyes with the ending already revealed. “Victory City” rises to the occasion with an unashamed story with captivating characters that connect with each other through space and time throughout the novel.

The weight of the work comes in the thematic significance of its prose. One consistent theme is the multi-perspective experience and acceptance of migration. The city of Bisnaga is inspired by the historical city and empire of Vijayanagara, which translates to “victory city.” In the book, the city Pampa Kampana creates is called Vijayanagar too. When a Portuguese foreigner visits and is unable to pronounce the name, managing only to utter “Bisnaga,” Pampa Kampana decides that this is what the city will be called. Here Rushdie effectively imagines a civilization to which language is irrelevant, or at least a mutable concept that lacks national or spiritual significance.

It is during moments like this where we can look at Bisnaga and reflect on modern nationalist movements. Yet “Victory City” is not some utopian manifesto on the perfect city. The people of Bisnaga resist Pampa Kampana, think independently and become influenced by their greed and pride. “Victory City” confronts the real world and explores how even the best ideals, backed by supernatural forces, must ultimately reconcile with an imperfect humanity.

For Rushdie, “Victory City” is another bold confrontation of religion, history, and tradition in a beautifully story interwoven with a contemporary critique of our world. It is this kind of writing that has made Rushdie an enemy to Islamic groups, who label his work irreverent. While there are certainly instances of irreverence in “Victory City” — such as the founders of Bisnaga deciding arbitrarily whether or not they will teach the people to care about circumcision, deciding that neither of them care very much themselves — labeling the entire work as flippant would be a disservice to the scrupulous efforts to recognize Hindu deities and acknowledge their mystical power throughout the story.

As the narrator hopes for in the opening lines, the book is filled with opportunities for edification, revealing numerous outlets to research real world Hindu and Islamic traditions. The book is easily readable and exciting through and through, opening a novel world of new perspectives to popular audiences around the world. For this, “Victory City” will be remembered as one of Rushdie’s most masterful works.

—Staff writer Jacob R. Jimenez can be reached at jacob.jimenez@thecrimson.com.