''Shame'' is

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...

's third novel, published in 1983. This book was written out of a desire to approach the problem of "artificial" (other-made) country divisions, their residents' complicity, and the problems of post-colonialism when Pakistan was created to separate the Muslims from the Hindus after Britain gave up control of India. The book is written in the style of magic realism. It portrays the lives of Iskander Harappa (sometimes assumed to be

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

), and General Raza Hyder (sometimes assumed to be General

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

), and their relationship. The central theme of the novel is that begetting "shame" begets violence. The concepts of 'shame' and 'shamelessness' are explored through all of the characters, with the main focus being on Sufiya Zinobia and Omar Khayyám.

Characters

Shakil family

* Omar Khayyám Shakil – The main character of the story who is raised by Chunni, Munnee, and Bunny. * Chunni, Munnee, and Bunny Shakil – Mothers of Omar Khayyám who were pregnant simultaneously. * Babar Shakil – The second son of Chunni, Munnee, and Bunny Shakil.

Hyder family members

* Raza Hyder – A military man who marries Bilquis as a captain and is eventually promoted to General. He is also the murderer of Babar Shakil. * Bilquìs Hyder – Wife of Raza Hyder and mother of Sufiya Zinobia and Naveed Hyder. * Sufiya Zinobia Hyder – Daughter of Raza and Bilquìs Hyder. Born with developmental issues. Embodies shame. Marries Omar Khayyám Shakil. * Naveed “Good News” Hyder – Younger sister of Sufiya Zinobia Hyder who is promised to Haroun Harappa but marries Captain Talvar Ulhaq.

Harappa family members

* Iskander Harappa – Politician and "playboy" who is married to Rani Harappa. Once a country leader, overthrown by Raza Hyder and dies in jail. * Rani Harappa – Cousin of Raza Hyder and wife of Iskander Harappa. * Arjumand Harappa – Daughter of Iskander and Rani, an aspiring politician, modeled after Benazir Bhutto. * Haroun Harappa – The eldest son of Little Mir Hirappa, who is promised to wed Naveed Hyder.

Additional characters

* Atiyah "Pinkie" Aurangzeb – Widowed by President Marshall A. and has an affair with Iskander Harappa. * Captain Talvar Ulhaq – Police captain and polo player who marries Naveed Hyder. * Eduardo Rodrigues – A Dominican teacher who becomes the private tutor of Omar Khayyám Shakil. He also is foster father to a child, Omar has with Farah, Omar's childhood crush. * Farah Zoroaster – Daughter of a customs officer. Has a child with Omar but is taken care of by Eduardo Rodrigues and is Omar Khayyám Shakil's childhood crush. * Maulana Dawood – Mullah and political confidant of Raza Hyder.

Plot

This story takes place in a town called "Q" which is actually a fictitious version of

Quetta, Pakistan Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...

. In Q, one of the three sisters (Chunni, Munnee, and Bunny Shakil) gives birth to Omar Khayyám Shakil, but they act as a unit of mothers, never revealing to anyone who is Omar's birth mother. In addition, Omar never learns who his father is. While growing up, Omar lives in purdah with his three mothers and yearns to join the world. As a birthday present, Omar Khayyám Shakil's "mothers" allow him to leave Q. He enrolls in a school and is convinced by his tutor (Eduardo Rodriguez) to become a doctor. Over time, he comes in contact with both Iskander Harappa and General Raza Hyder.

Awards

*Winner of the French

Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated into French. Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel *2020: ...

(Best Foreign Book Prize). *Shortlisted for the 1983 Booker Prize. *The

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

translation received an award from an official jury appointed by a ministry of the Iranian Islamic government.Daniel Pipes: The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah, and the West (1990), p.49

Bibliography

Rushdie, Salman. ''Shame''. Vintage: London, 1995.

References

External links

Listen to Salman Rushdie discussing ''Shame'' with Tariq Ali
- a British Library recording. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shame (Novel) Novels by Salman Rushdie 1983 British novels Postcolonial novels British magic realism novels Novels set in Pakistan Novels about politicians Jonathan Cape books Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Benazir Bhutto Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Cultural depictions of Pakistani men Partition of India in fiction