'India has produced a great novelist...a master of perpetual storytelling' V.S. Pritchett, New Yorker Born at the stroke of midnight, at the precise moment of India's independence, Saleem Sinai is destined from birth to be special. For he is one of 1,001 children born in the midnight hour, children who all have special gifts, children with whom Saleem is telepathically linked. But there has been a terrible mix up at birth, and Saleem's life takes some unexpected twists and turns. As he grows up amidst a whirlwind of ...
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'India has produced a great novelist...a master of perpetual storytelling' V.S. Pritchett, New Yorker Born at the stroke of midnight, at the precise moment of India's independence, Saleem Sinai is destined from birth to be special. For he is one of 1,001 children born in the midnight hour, children who all have special gifts, children with whom Saleem is telepathically linked. But there has been a terrible mix up at birth, and Saleem's life takes some unexpected twists and turns. As he grows up amidst a whirlwind of triumphs and disasters, Saleem must learn the ominous consequences of his gift, for the course of his life is inseparably linked to that of his motherland, and his every act is mirrored and magnified in the events that shape the newborn nation of India. It is a great gift, and a terrible burden.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. Size: 9x6x1; 1st edition 1st printing-no dust jacket-ex-library whose evidence is envelop and label inside front cover-label on title page and inside back cover-tape residue on cover-wear to cover-some staining to closed page edge-otherwise binding strong contents clean-enjoy.
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Seller's Description:
Fair in fair dust jacket. Significant edge wear, chipping, tears and creases to jacket. Appearance improved in mylar. Previous owner's gift inscription on ffep, else unmarked. Some edge wear to boards, small tears at spine. Glued binding. 446 p. Audience: General/trade.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 9x6x1; Alfred A. Knopf; New York, 1981. Hardcover. First US Edition. A Very Good, grey boards and burgundy cloth spine, author initials in silver lettering on front board, silver lettering on spine, binding sturdy and intact, deckle fore-edge, some rubbing along board edges, sunning and some rubbing along board and spine edges, removed bookplate residue front pastedown, previous owner gift inscription front free endpaper, mild scattered foxing to text block edges, in a Very Good, some handling/scuff marks to panels, bit of edge/corner wear, mild spine fade, neatly clipped front flap, small moisture stain bottom spine and verso, small tear bottom rear panel edge, tear top front panel edge clear taped also on verso, Mylar protected, Dust wrapper. A nice, overall clean and unmarked copy. 8vo[octavo or approx. 6 x 9 inches], 446pp. We pack securely and ship daily with delivery confirmation on every book. The picture on the listing page is of the actual book for sale. Additional Scan(s) are available for any item, please inquire.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. Hardcover. 8vo. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 1981. 446 pgs. Signed by Salman Rushdie on the title page. First Edition/First Printing. DJ has light shelf-wear present to the DJ extremities (spine lightly faded and sunned). No ownership marks present. Text is clean and free of marks, binding tight and solid, boards very lightly rubbed and worn. Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India's independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India's 1, 000 other “midnight's children, ” all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts. This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its people–a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Twenty-five years after its publication, Midnight' s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of the great literary voices of our time. E-150; 9.6 X 6.3 X 1.5 inches; 446 pages.
This is probably the most brilliantly written book I've ever read. Rushdie is a literary genius. It's not easy reading, but it's completely engrossing and intriguing. It left me with two things: 1) a burning curiosity as to his writing process (the plot is so intertwined forward and backward, it almost seems as if he started in the middle and worked out both directions); 2) a desire to learn more about India's history since independence so I can better appreciate the book the next time I read it, which will be soon.
I almost don't dare read any of his other books for fear that they won't measure up to this one.