261.tShame, Salman Rushdie
Shame is Salman Rushdie's third novel, published in 1983. Like most of Rushdie's work, this book was written in the style of magic realism. It portrays the lives of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Iskander Harappa) and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (General Raza Hyder) and their relationship. The central theme of the novel is that violence is born out of shame. The concepts of 'shame' and 'shamelessness' are explored through all of the characters, with main focus on Sufiya Zinobia and Omar Khayyám.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه جولای سال 1983 میلادی
عنوان: شرم؛ نویسنده: سلمان رشدی؛ مترجم: مهدی سحابی؛ تهران، نشر تندر؛ 1364؛ در 349 ص؛ موضوع: ادبیات هند قرن 20 م
رمان شرم یکی از رمانهای مشهور جهان نوشته سلمان رشدی ست که در دهه ی شصت هجری خورشیدیبا مجوز وزرات ارشاد و فرهنک اسلامی توسط مهدی سحابی ترجمه و چاپ شده است. این رمان یک رمان اجتماعی و ریشه در فرهنگ هند دارد. ا. شربیانی

The controversy surrounding the reign and relationship of late Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his Commander-In-Chief at the time, Zia-Ul Haq has captured the imagination of the world for a long long time. I had heard vague stories about this conflict as a boy but had never really understood what had ensued before and after the successful coup that Zia undertook, overthrowing Bhutto and becoming the President of Pakistan himself. This was one of the primary points of attraction that led me to read Salman Rushdie’s book, aptly titled, ‘Shame’.

Released in 1983, ‘Shame’ revolves around the lives of similar characters with very identical stories with a good amount of ‘RR’ – Rusdhie Realism – thrown in. The book opens with the life of Omar Khayyam, a boy borne to three sisters who live in a fortress like mansion in Nishapur (interestingly the same place the actual poet Umar Khayyam was born) somewhere on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The sisters have locked themselves away from the world and use a contraption known as ‘The Dumb Waiter’ to correspond with the planet outside for their daily needs – rice, vegetables et al. Growing up in a sequestered wall-fort like this one, Omar is fed with the strong sense of void and a bizarre sense of issues (including vertigo and lack of self confidence) by the 3 sisters – Chunni, Munni and Bunny – out of which no one knows who the real mother is. Despite the boundaries that confine this Mowgli of a fellow, he continues feeding himself all the literature, arts and science he can find in books lying around the dusty closets. He masters several languages and becomes a self-taught scholar but he knows, he just knows, that he will become an anthill if he continues to stay with his mothers. With great effort he finally retaliates and tells them he needs to get out, much to their shock and surprise.

"Horrified maternal gasps. Six hands fly to three heads and take up hear-no-see-no-speak-no-evil positions."

They reluctantly let him go out and attend school from where he moves on to pursue medicine and becomes an immunologist. It is when he reaches Karachi, that he befriends the playboy millionaire Iskander Harappa (Isky – Bhutto) who is married to Rani Humayun. Also in this mix is General ‘Old Razor Guts’ – Raja Hyder (Zia) is an army hero who is married to Bilquis Kemal. After a shocking stillbirth (where the baby is strangulated by the umbilical cord), Bilquis bears two daughters – Sufia Zinobia Hyder (also called ‘Shame’) and Naveed Hyder (also called ‘Good News’).

The theme of shame continues as Sufia suffers a brain fever as a child and is clinically labeled as mentally challenged. She, as it turns out, thus becomes the receiving pot of all the shamefulness and shamelessness that the family has to offer, absorbing all of it within her until that sleeping subconscious of Sufia becomes an uncontrollable beast that rips off heads of turkeys and attacks Naveed’s groom on her wedding day. To keep a check on her behavior, Raza takes Omar’s help who ends up falling in love with this woman with a child’s brain.

Elsewhere, an awakening is taking place. On his 40th birthday Isky decides to put past him the flamboyancy of his money throwing years and follows his call for the nation. He forms the ‘Popular Front’ (as in PPP) and is idolized by his daughter Arjumound Harappa (also called ‘Virgin Ironpants’ given her obstinate will to reject men forever).

The story then follows a similar pattern based on actual events. Isky becomes the Prime Minister of the nation and does everything possible to ensure that the diplomats, the ambassadors, the other attaches are kept under his strong thumb. An approach some see as being down right dictatorial. It is in such headiness that Isky promotes Raza as the CIC despite the fact that Raza has several seniors above him. Given Raza’s non-political demeanor, Isky’s calculation is that he will have nothing to worry about. And this is where, as we have seen, Isky goes horribly wrong. Plagued with the fathering of ‘Shame’ in his own house, Raza starts getting annoyed at the way Isky goes about handling the system. Isky’s rude obnoxious attitude and a mouth that can spew out several foul creatures at once soon starts getting on Raza’s army honed nerves. It is then, that he decides to impose Martial Law in the country by leading a coup against Isky. Isky is arrested on the charges of murdering his brother’s son (Little Mir) and is thrown into the most hideous prison cells in the world and tortured in ways unimaginable. After 2 years of this, Isky is sentenced to death by hanging although as it turns out, Rani Humayun and Arjumound do not see rope marks on his neck when they examine the body. It is revealed that one of the army generals had shot Isky in the heart thanks to Isky’s belligerent and never-say-die mind-set. A move that then heralds the beginning of a Pakistan that is headed by the base mantra of faith as Sufia prepares to finally be taken over by the Beast completely.

‘Shame’ documents a lot of facts with Rushdie’s usual tonic of magic realism. Everything from Sufia’s drastic transformation from being the blushing child-in-a-woman to the ghastly beast with yellow fire in the eyes is portrayed with chilling descriptions. At one point I actually thought of Sufia herself as being a representation of the country. Born normal – attacked by an infliction – left with an adult body but an immature brain – now looked at with suspicion and fear. A beast within a child’s soul. It was in this metaphorical tribute that I found ‘Shame’ most successful at.

What this also did, for my own sake of historical know-how, is forced me to read up whatever there is to know about the Bhutt0-Zia reign. It was interesting to see the palpating synergy Bhutto had in his speeches (videos on YouTube) and the calm composed almost regressive approach that Zia shows in footage. I sometimes found myself wondering, what indeed would have happened had Bhutto not promoted Zia up the order? Would Pakistan become a very different country from what it is now? Or was Bhutto’s approach to things so predictably askew that his downfall was only a matter of time to which Zia became a reason? I guess we will never know.

‘Shame’ is a must read for those who want to know about that critical phase which proved to be the maker/breaker of the country’s future.

I think Rushdie is one of the best writers of our time. He can describe a whole culture in two sentences. He provides an eye-opening glimpse into a society that is totally foreign and bewildering to me. Like "Midnight's Children," this novel is populated with characters who aren't like people you know, yet they're authentic.

"When a reader falls in love with a book, it leaves its essence inside him …" — Salman Rushdie

This was my first venture into the incredible mind of Salman Rushdie and I have to say he does not leave one wanting for lovely, metaphorical prose! He has an intense, edge-of-your-seat writing style that keeps the account moving along at a fast pace.

Set in an imaginary Islamic society, the book explores shame in all its variations. The characters are swimming in their indignity from the outset. Rushdie brings the seven deadly sins to life and then throws fury into the mix, creating quite an exciting narrative!

The story begins with three sisters, Chunni, Munnee and Bunny, locked up in their father’s palatial mansion, waiting for daddy dearest to die so they can reap their inheritance. And when he does, what a party they have! As sometimes happens when young girls are turned loose on the world, a pregnancy occurs, but to say it was unplanned would be untrue. The sisters longed for a baby and so, as one, they became mother to illegitimate Omar Khayyam.

Omar, a slothful and disturbed youth, eventually leaves the compound - and his three strange mothers – to embark on a life of gluttony and sin in the outside world. He had been home-schooled to never feel shame, so he and his friend, Iskander, go on to live a debauched life of legendary proportions. The character list is seemingly endless and there are many sad, sinful, shame-filled endings. At times, I became lost in the complexity of the expanding cast and had no idea what was happening. I eventually caught up and was able to stay with the subject matter. There are underlying currents of politics within a country in turmoil, but the novel didn’t heavily lean toward any political agenda.

Overall, I liked the book. It was told in a conversational way and I felt as if I had sat down with a friend as he launched into a story. Rushdie, as the narrator, does veer off track, reciting accounts of his own that were completely unrelated to the actual folktale of Shame. But he eventually returned to the matter in hand.

His writing is beautiful, but this is not an easy read and I had to pay very close attention.
All things considered, I am so glad I tried Rushdie!

Another great masterpiece by Salman Rushie, telling the story of the lives of Iskander Harappa (sometimes assumed to be Zulfikar Ali Bhutto), and General Raza Hyder (sometimes assumed to be General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq).

The concepts of 'shame' and 'shamelessness' are explored through all of the characters, with main focus on Sufiya Zinobia and Omar Khayyám.

4.5* Shame
5* Midnight's Children
2* The Enchantress of Florence
3* Joseph Anton: A Memoir
TR Shalimar the Clown
TR The Moor's Last Sigh
TR The Golden House

The 3rd instalment in my unintentional chronological reading of Mr Rushdies works and it was as fantastic as I had hopes of it being. Shame felt a little like the Pakistan counterpart to the Indian Midnight's Children but it can certainly stand on its own.

As with Midnight's Children there are threads of magical realism woven skilfully in with the everyday but they were more sparse here. Long sections would pass where the only magic was in the writing, not in the plot. Bizarre events were more likely to be the creation of different customs and rituals rather than magical influences and there was no shortage of oddities dreamed up by the strange individuals jammed between these pages.

The plot followed the politics of Pakistan and would have been even more interesting if I'd had more than a passing knowledge of the events surrounding the various coups but even with only such rudimentary gleanings the book didn't suffer. Shame and the trouble it brings to peoples lives was really forefront and centre and that needed no historical knowledge to be understood.

4 1/2 stars

Shame is fantastic--not in the pop sense of high quality, but in the literal sense of worlds beyond reality. The book is filled with strange beasts and diseases. It travels through vast realms of soul, spirit, government, psychology, medicine, history, politics, religion, philosophy. It takes place in a country that is “not quite Pakistan,” and in a time that ranges from prehistory to the present. I am quite sure that those versed in Indian/Afghan/Iranian history find reams of allegory in the recounting of revolutions and coups and generals and presidents. Once again, I write from ignorance so can be of no help in limning these elements. However, they are gripping enough just on literary terms to justify the read--if you’re open enough to the fantastic. Why the title? Because the people of this country which is not Pakistan is full of notions of honor, and violations of honor bring shame, which brings consequences both for individuals and societies. Rushdie breaks many conventions of modern fiction, one of which is that of the unobtrusive author. This writer is right there all the time directing the reader at every turn, explaining what he’s doing and why--shamelessly, as it were--pulling us back from the fifteenth century to twentieth century London where a father slit his sixteen-year-old-daughter’s throat because she had shamed the family with her (reputed) sexual exploits. When such acts and attitudes reach the national or international level, you get what we now have. And this book was written in 1983.

عمر خیام شکیل در دامن نه یکی که سه مادر پرورش یافت ، در حالی که پدری در کار نبود ، و این راز بعدها در زمانی که او بیست سال داشت بغرنج تر هم شد . چون سه مادرش باز هم پسر دیگری زاییدند و باز به نظر میرسید که پدری در کار نیست .عامل دیگری که مایه سرگشتگی عُمر نوجوان شد اولین تجربه عشقی اش بود ، با شور و پیگیری بیتابانه ای دورو بر دختری هوس انگیز و دست نیافتنی می پلکید که پارسی بود و همه جوانهای ناحیه بجز عُمر خیام حاشیه نشین میدانستند که دنبال کردنش عاقبت خوشی ندارد .
پس ، قهرمان داستان ما آدمی است دچار سرگیجه، بیرون گود، کله پا ، دچار بیخوابی ، دلباخته، سر به هوا. این دیگر چه جور قهرمانی است ؟
(هم این کتاب و هم کتاب دیگر سلمان رشدی ،-بچه های نیمه شب- رو بشدت توصیه میکنم )

I am undecided as to award this book with fours stars or three.
It's a surreal story with some unforgettable characters.

It was surely worth the ride but I must confess that during the first hundred pages I was ready to shamelessly chuck it aside. I am glad I didn't. This is a story that'll stick with me for quite a while.

Ok...... 4 stars

"Sizce nereye giderler? -Hissedilmesi gerekirken hissedilmeyen duyguları kastediyorum- mesela haşin bir sözden duyulan pişmanlık, bir cürümden duyulan suçluluk, utanç, edep, mahçubiyet ... Utanç verici şeyler yapılıyor; yalanlar, serbest hayat, büyüklere saygısızlık, ulusal bayrağı sevmemek, seçimlerde yanlış oy kullanmak, aşırı yemek, evlilik dışı cinsellik,, otobiyografik romanlar, kağıt oyununda hile yapmak, kadınlara kötü davranmak, sınavda çakmak, kaçakçılık...Peki sonra bütün o hissedilmemiş utanca ne oluyor?"

Ülkenin sınırındaki hayali K. kasabasında, "Nişabur" denen olağandışı bir evde olağan dışı koşullarda doğar Utanmazlığın cismi.. Büyük bir şairin adını verirler bu cisme. Ömer Hayyam Şakil utanmazlığı taşıyan o bedendir işte.

Sömürgecilik sonrası Pakistan'da yaşanan, toplumsal, politik, dini çürüme, roman kişisi Ömer Hayyam'ın etrafından, büyülü bir gerçeklikle anlatılıyor romanda. Çürümenin baş aktörleri (ya da kuklaları mı demeli), gerçek politik şahsiyetler, cuntacı generaller her biri hissetmedikleri utancın hem yaratıcısı, hem de kurbanları, çoğu yaşanmış, gerçek olayların içinde masalsı bir anlatımla çıkıyor karşımıza.

Salman Rüşdi'nin bir söz büyücüsü, kadim zamanların bilgeliğine sahip bir masalcı, bir edebiyat dehası olduğuna "geceyarısı çocukları"nı okuduğumda karar vermiştim. Utanç romanını okuduğumda da bu yargım değişmedi.

Ülkesinden sürgün, kalbi doğuda kalmış bir yazar Rüşdi. Kalbini bıraktığı topraklarda yaşanan zulme, cehalete, cahil bırakılmışlığa, bölünüp parçalanmışlığa isyan var iki kitapta da. Her ne kadar batının sömürgeciler diyarında ikamet etse, kendi toplumundan, insanlarından görmediği itibarı orda görse de, kalbini kıran, onu sürgüne mecbur eden aslında doğunun kendisi değildir, bunu çok iyi bilir.

Utanç bir çöküş romanı fakat yine de "ümit" bir seçenek olarak sezilir satır aralarında. "Özgürlük, eşitlik, kardeşlik" der bir yerinde romanın, sonlarına doğru... "hararetle tavsiye ederim".

একটা গল্প ভালো আমরা কখন বলি? আমার কাছে ভালো গল্পের অন্যতম বৈশিষ্ট্য হচ্ছে যখন সেই গল্পের পাঠককে ধরে রাখার ক্ষমতা আছে, যখন পাঠক সেই গল্পে একবার প্রবেশ করে তখন শেষ না হওয়া পর্যন্ত একটা আকর্ষণ কাজ করে, পড়তে পড়তে পাঠকের আশপাশের খেয়াল থাকে না, মন্ত্রমুগ্ধের মতো পড়ে যায় এমন।

রুশদির এই উপন্যাসের গল্পে একবার প্রবেশের পর বোধ করেছি এমনটাই। কোনো দেশ বা শহরকে সরাসরি ইঙ্গিত না করেও তাদের বেশ খানিকটা ইতিহাস, ফ্যামিলি ড্রামা আর জাদুবাস্তবের মিশেলে এমন এক গল্প ফেঁদেছেন লেখক যা পড়ে গিয়েছি তরতর করে, আশপাশ ভুলে। গল্পটা একইসাথে লজ্জা এবং লজ্জাহীনতার। মানুষের জীবনে এ দুটো জিনিসের প্রভাব কতটা সেটাও উঠে এসেছে বারবার। বাস্তব আর অবাস্তব নিয়ে রুশদি গড়েছেন তার নিজস্ব দুনিয়া, লিখেছেন এমন এক আখ্যান যা পড়ে গিয়েছি ঘোরের মধ্যে, লেখার গুণে ভুলে গিয়েছি এ দুটোর বিভেদরেখা। গল্প বলার দিক দিয়ে রুশদি যে একজন মাস্টার স্টোরিটেলার - তা আরেকবার বুঝলাম 'মিডনাইটস চিলড্রেন' এর পর।

Holy cow. Lots to think about. Mainly the reckoning between what a life with too little shame looks like juxtaposed with a life with too much; both will end in demise. The regional politics are still somehow relevant, even 40 years later. I was quite skeptical going in, but I love rushdie’s writing style, position on his own identity, and how he views the lives of others, even if hypothetical.

favorite quotes:
“But evil tongues will say anything, especially about beautiful women who live far away from the denuding eyes of men” -p 5

“All migrants leave their pasts behind, although some try to pack it into bundles and boxes - but on the journey something seeps out of the treasured mementoes and old photographs, until even their owners fail to recognize them, because it is the fate of migrants to be stripped of history, to stand naked amidst the scorn of strangers upon whom they see the rich clothing, the brocades of continuity and the eyebrows of belonging.” -p 60

“When individuals come unstuck from their native land, they are called migrants. When nations do the same thing (Bangladesh), the act is called secession. What is the best thing about migrant peoples and seceded nations? I think it is their hopefulness. Look into the eyes of such folk in old photographs. Hope blazes undimmed through the fading sepia tints. And what's the worst thing? It is the emptiness of one's luggage. I'm speaking of invisible suitcases, not the physical, perhaps cardboard, variety containing a few meaning-drained mementoes: we have come unstuck from more than land. We have floated upwards from his-tory, from memory, from Time.” -p 85

“Men who deny their pasts become incapable of thinking them real.” -p 149

“So-called Islamic 'fundamentalism' does not spring, in Pakistan, from the people. It is imposed on them from above. Autocratic regimes find it useful to espouse the rhetoric of faith, because people respect that language, are reluctant to oppose it. This is how religions shore up dictators; by encircling them with words of power, words which the people are reluctant to see discredited, disenfranchised, mocked.” -p 266