The Enchantress of Florence, written by Salman Rushdie, is an enigma in itself. While dazzling at times, it can also plumb to unimaginable depths, forcing the reader to retrospect whether to continue reading it. Personally, I wouldn’t place this piece of work in the same league as his other masterpieces like Midnight’s Children.
The story starts with a European traveller, Agostino Vespucci, the self-styled “Mogor dell’ Amore” – translated as the Mughal of Love, weaving a web of trickery around many a people on his way to gain audience with Akbar the Great. What the actual reason for all this was is revealed in the following pages – he claims to be the son of the beautiful Qara Koz, the legendary lost Mughal princess, and a great-aunt of Akbar himself. After this, the book launches into a vivid description of Qara Koz’s - or The Enchantress of Florence’s, if you like – travails and conquests. We are also told of her almost equally stunning companion, known only as “The Mirror”. As the tale of this legendary woman unfolds, the Emperor gets lost in his dreams, conjuring up a life-like woman called Jodha Bai, the perfect wife, according to him. In the meanwhile, the story intermittently jumps to Florence, describing the sirens present there, like the courtesan, Alessandra Fiorentina.
In a way, this book was intended to be a celebration of female beauty, and the power it has over any and every kind of man, be it a simpleton or a bloody marauder. And, one cannot hesitate to say that Rushdie fails miserably at this. Rushdie borders on showing-off his literary prowess throughout the novel – interspersing some clever play of words with some needless quotations. Here's one: "He wanted to be able to tell someone his suspicion that men have made their gods and not the other way around." Here's another: "Only when we accept the truths of death can we begin to learn the truths of being alive." One more: "The curse of the human race is not that we are so different from one another, but that we are so alike." Clearly not a good idea of an engrossing read.
While reviewing this book, one simply cannot forget the predominant style of this book – an oft-used (and abused) style called Magical Realism. While writers such as Nobel Prize-winning authors Gabriel Garcia Marquez have successfully manoeuvred this style to create some truly remarkable pieces of literature, Rushdie has often been guilty of over-exaggerating in his books under the guise of magical realism, none so more visible in this particular book. In his introductory notes of the book, he tells that he has researched extensively for this book. All that research has, apparently, succeeded in creating a mangled history of two cities of an important period of history, namely the Renaissance.
But, if you are considering consigning your copy to the bin, hold your horses. For nothing is he one of the most celebrated authors in modern literature, even taking the fatwa against him into account. True, the magical realism thing is being stretched too far for likeness, but still it does not fail to mesmerise the reader. Through Vespucci’s exotic tale, we are led to live and breathe a world that contains such things as sorcery, unnatural beauty and even a presumably preposterous instance of a painter disappearing in a painting he made. Yet, rather than question it, one continues to swirl in this mysterious world unabated. Above all this fog of imagination, the emperor infuses a sense of what one would like to call ‘relative sensibility’ throughout the novel. He is what really enables the reader to go through the book in one go.
The narrative does contain flashes of Rushdie’s brilliance – his sparkling descriptions of landscapes, his quips (like the emperor of the kingdom of Kuch Nahin, or literally, the emperor of nothing) among others. So, consider reading it if you do want to get lost in a world of endless fantasy, without giving a damn about the what’s or why’s of the matter. But if you have a better option, I would seriously suggest reading that before embarking on this fantastic yet unfortunately over-rated journey. Did I say over-rated? This reminds me of the customary make-or-break factor which ultimately swings the reader’s choice one way or the other – the ratings. And yes, I will over-rate this a tad bit, owing to the fact that this is in fact, Salman Rushdie, and he is bound to entertain you, as he always has. So here we go - I am going to give it a 3.5 out of 5.
Shadman Anwer
2009ph10742
While agreeing on your sentiment that this is definitely not the best Rushdie work, I might add that it is not the worst either. I think, that on a certain level, you misinterpreted Rushdie's intentions (he certainly doesn't deserve those brickbats you throw at him). The excessive use of Magical Realism might be attributed to his going out of the way to ensure that the reader is not deviated from what he is trying to portray - the power of female beauty, as you correctly enumerated. It is here, though, that I must agree that Rushdie loses his way a bit(pun completely intended), as he over-estimates the reader's capacity to take it all in. Nevertheless, his picturesque description of two beautiful cities of that time is enough proof of the undoubted wealth of talent that Rushdie possesses. Whether the over-excessive use of sex is necessary to facilitate his agenda, however, is open to debate, with different people having different opinions. I, personally, feel that it does tone down the beauty of the novel, and along with other factors which you have already ennumerated with consummate ease, have really resulted in the novel's prompt rejection by critics world-over.
ReplyDeleteAn honest advice to the reader from my side is that don't get your hopes too high before reading the book. I think that it was the fact that you just read the book Midnight's Children before it, that hampered your vision in properly appreciating this novel. It certainly cannot be put in the same bracket as Midnight.., one of modern literature's masterpieces. Also, you ignored the fact that his novel celebrates the union of East and West and its far-reaching consequences, and by corollary, it is a refelction of Rushdie's own dilemma. A worth-read book, if not a must-read!!
The Enchantress of Florence is a multi-dimensional book, which, admittedly, did not come out as good as Rushdie would have wanted. He certainly had to bear the burden of legendary books such as Midnight’s Children, and, trying to better it, instead veers off-course and places a too-heavy reliance on magical realism. However, that doesn’t diminish the quality factor – it will certainly lead you to an enjoyable ride.
ReplyDeleteThe author starts off with the description of the beautiful city Fatehpur Sikri, with the meeting between the Emperor Akbar and Agostino Vespucci. From thereon, the reader is led on a trail-blazing run from Fatehpur Sikri right up to Florence, where Qara Koz, Akbar’s long lost great-grand aunt, resides, and has earned her fame by ensnaring many a brave men by the charms of her beauty. In a way, this novel depicts how men get engulfed with their obsessions of female beauty, as you rightly pointed. A telling example of this fact is Akbar imagining an imaginary Jodha and completes the illusion by imagining her as his wife.
The tales of Vespucci provide an amazing escape route for the reader – it is almost as if one gets surreally transported to another world. The web that Rushdie weaves around the Enchantress of Florence confirms common perception of his being a future candidate for a Nobel Prize. Yet, this is where he loses the plot a bit – going for some pretty fanciful descriptions, leaving the reader gasping for fresh air. But criticism apart, I will slightly disagree with the reviewer regarding the historical setting of the novel. As a student of history himself, Rushdie knows his history by heart. But here, the fantastic settings are clearly intentional, and a product of intense research, as Rushdie clearly points out in his bibliography. It only serves to add to the richness of the novel. Furthermore, the multiple layers he wraps around the various characters are a reader’s delight, and helps in calling this novel a must-read from my side.