Victory City

A Novel

By: Salman Rushdie

Narrated by: Sid Sagar

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries—from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize–winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie is one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year • “Victory City is a triumph—not because it exists, but because it is utterly enchanting.”—The Atlantic

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Chicago Public Library, Polygon, The Globe and Mail, Bookreporter

In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who begins to speak out of the girl’s mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana’s comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga—“victory city”—the wonder of the world.

Over the next 250 years, Pampa Kampana’s life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga’s, from its literal sowing from a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that the goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry—with Pampa Kampana at its center.

Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, Victory City is a saga of love, adventure, and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.

Not my favorite Salman Rushdie’s book

Extremely circonlocutions story. The characters are not likable and the events run in a very speedy way. The narrator is absolutely excellent.

I love this book!

I was entranced from the beginning, pages to the end… A wonderful book for reading, or listening.

Riveting!

Enthralling, adventurous and consuming from beginning to end! A definite recommendation to any reader of quality literature.

Imaginative Rushdie novel brilliantly performed

Salman Rushdie is known for his inventive storytelling and Delhi-born narrator Sid Sagar doubles the impact with his marvelous performance. The complex and tongue-twisting Hindi names slide musically from him and his ebullient energy never wanes.

Rushdie master storyteller and Sagar master narrator

This was my fourth Salmon Rushdie book, and my goodness, it’s one of the best books i’ve ever had the pleasure of “reading” / listening to, and Sid Sagar narrating it was an absolute joy. Perfect match of story and storyteller. It’s an absolute new classic of Rushdie’s magical realism canon about a fictional India of old. An enthralling setting for me as a westerner. Rushdie’s voice is that of an old master storyteller with a modern twist. I can’t get over how good this was. I’m so glad Salman Rushdie is still producing some of his best work yet and putting it out in 2023! And so glad that Sid Sagar is around to read it to us. Magic.