Haroun and the Sea of Stories

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Summary: Celebrating the magic of fiction
Review: Literature often transcends pre-set boundaries of category or genre. Prime examples include the chronicles of Alice and Gulliver originally conceived to satirise society and later metamorphosed into children's classics, and more recently the popularity of the Harry Potter novels among adult readers. 'Haroun and the sea of stories' could be placed in a similar category. It can be read as a fairy tale or as a satire that addresses everyday problems, narrates social conditions and broaches political issues.

Regarded by readers and critics alike as one of the master storytellers of the present day literary world, it is not surprising that Mr.Rushdie has conjured up a fantasy based on the world or rather the ocean of stories, named after the ancient Indian treatise Kathasaritsagar.

The protagonist Haroun Khalifa is a young boy who leads a happy middle class life distinct from the rich, poor, 'super-rich' and 'super-poor' people inhabiting a nameless sad city.

Haroun's father Rashid Khalifa is a famous story teller - the Shah of Blah with fabled oceans of notions, who often refers to the streams of story water he drinks to keep up the supply of wondrous tales that pour forth from within him. Haroun takes this as an eccentric statement by his father, and soon discovers that the ocean of stories indeed exists, and that only he could save it from total annihilation.

Haroun's world is suddenly taken apart when his mother elopes with their neighbour Mr.Sengupta, a mean clerk who had forever questioned the significance of Rashid's tales ('What's the use of stories that are not even true?') and Rashid loses his gift to spin wondrous yarns. When Rashid is summoned by a politician to campaign through his stories in the Valley of K, the two decide to risk taking the trip which turns out to be both hilarious and fascinating.

On board a peacock-shaped houseboat on the 'Dull Lake', Haroun discovers to his surprise and horror that his father is going to cancel his subscription to the streams of the Story Ocean. After a squabble with the water genie Iff who has come to disconnect the story tap, Haroun manages to get a ride on the machine-hoopoe Butt to Kahani, the second moon of the earth that contains the ocean of stories.

Kahani also contains two diametrically opposite worlds, the land of Gup characterised by perpetual light inhabited by the Guppies who love to talk, and the land of Chup that is permanently dark and cold and is home to the Chupwallas who worship Bezaban, the prince of silence. The Guppies and the Chupwallas are mortal enemies, and when Haroun lands on Kahani, there is a terrible crisis looming on Gup - The cult master of Chup, Khattam-Shud has kidnapped the Guppie princess Batcheat intending to sacrifice her to Bezaban and worse, has started polluting the story ocean to destroy it completely.

Accompanied by Iff, Butt, Mali the floating gardener and a pair of loopy fishes called Goopy and Bagha, Haroun sets forth to save the ocean. The rest of the story deals with how he succeeds in this endeavour and is rewarded with a 'synthesised' happy ending courtesy P2C2E (Processes Too Complicated To be Explained).

The text sparkles with witticisms concealing thoughts, and thoughts that evoke spontaneous laughter. There is a lot of wordplay as can be expected from a Rushdie novel. The dialogues are characteristic of Mr. Rushdie's works, with the characters speaking peculiar dialects of Indianised English - Oneeta Sengupta's consoling words to the Khalifas, the conversation of Butt/Buttoo, the rhyming banter of Goopy and Bagha, the foolish babble of Prince Bolo, the songs of Mali and the petty quarrels between the mud-men and mud-women in Buttoo's bus are sure to evoke laughter in even the most curmudgeonly reader.

A beautiful passage describing the dance of the shadow warrior Mudra who speaks through gestures (Abhinaya) conveys that duality exists even in Kahani, and that creatures of silence and darkness could be as charming as the children of light and speech. So is the abstraction describing how emotions influence the atmosphere, with miserable thoughts causing the atmosphere to stink and brighter ones clearing out the smog. The ridiculous antics of silly Prince Bolo to save Princess Batcheat seem justifiable when he is described as being just like love - dashing, gallant and a little foolish.

Above all these, the main theme of the book is brought forth implicitly - That story-tellers cannot be silenced, and the ocean of stories would continue to surge with its many threads mixing and intermingling perpetually to generate fresh stories that would keep flowing. Looking a little deeper, it conveys that the magic of fiction has the power to soothe, restore, edify and sustain the harried, quotidian protagonists of everyday life.

Rating:
Summary: A Beatiful Modern Fairy Tale for All Ages
Review: Haroun's father, a storyteller, loses his ability to tell stories. For years, Haroun's father has told him that the wonderful stories came from drinking water from "the Sea of Stories". A faucet for this water (invisible to the naked eye) is installed exactly 6 inches above the basin of the sink. However, this seemed to be yet another fanciful story. Upon a chance run-in with his father's Water Genie, Haroun finds that the "Sea of Stories" does actually exist on the earth's second moon (that has eluded detection by being very fast). He goes on an amazing adventure to this second moon in search of a way to restore his father's ability to tell stories. This moon is full of colorful characters like the Shadow Warrior (who's shadow has a personality of it's own), the flying Hoopoe, Pages who are actually shaped like pages, and an ugly princess with a doting fiancé. And the story wouldn't be complete without a villain: Khattam-Shud. The story that Rushdie tells is the classic story of good versus evil (with a refreshing twist). It's a story about stories. The book is tightly crafted; everything has meaning. This was the first Rushdie book that I have read, and I vow to read more. He writes with beautiful simple prose. Although not suspenseful, this book was highly readable. It is pleasurable for it's simplicity and well-told story. It can easily be read in 3 to 4 short sittings. HAROUN & THE SEA OF STORIES is destined to be a classic.

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Summary: i just finsihed it. i thought it was the best book ever!!!
Review: Salman Rushdie really wrote a great book. I read this book in my English/Social Studies class and we all had a fun time reading it. We all were anxious to read the book because we would always stop at a good part and we really wanted to find out what happened. I think Salman Rushdie should write a sequal when he goes back to the moon Khani and sees all his friends: Iff the Water Genie, Blabbermouth, Mudra the Shadow Warrior, Batcheat,Prince Bolo,and all his other friends.

My favorite part of the book was the end. How they find Princess Batcheat is such a good part. I don't want to explain it because you reviewers have to read it!!! I also like it after Rashid tells everyone the story. The first few words of the story that Rashid tells you at the end are actually told the same way in the begining.

I really would recommend it!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Fairy Tale for All Ages
Review: This was the first Rushdie book that I have read, but I am very impressed. He has an amazing knack for storytelling. It was evident that he had a plan in mind when he began writing the book rather than just letting the story meander without purpose like some authors are prone to do. This is the story of a boy named Haroun who tries to help his father, a storyteller, regain his ability to tell stories. His father had always told him that his storytelling abilities came from something called the "Sea of Stories". Haroun was surpised to find that this was, in fact a real sea located on the earth's elusive 2nd moon. Haroun travels there and is acquainted with magnificent characters such as the Water Genie, the flying mechanical bird the Hoopoe, the Shadow Warrior (who's shadow has a personality of it's own), Pages that look like pages. The book wouldn't be complete without a villain: Kattam Shud. It's the age-old story of good versus evil with a new twist. It's also a fanciful explanation of where good stories come from and how good stories get tainted. The book is quick-paced and can be read in 3 to 4 short sittings. It's not so much suspenseful as it is refreshing and enjoyable. However, why does Rushdie use apostrophes instead of quotation marks during dialogue?

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Summary: Haroun And The Sea Of Stories
Review: Living in a harsh brutal world where sadness is manufactured, three people in the entire city are happy. These are Rashid, Soraya, and Haroun. Rashid, the father of Haroun, is a storyteller and speaks throughout the city. His wife, Soraya, is a singer. Then Haroun is a smart young man. The storyteller looses his wife and storytelling talent. One day Haroun meets a water genie named Iff and his mechanical bird, Butt, and they take him to a magical second moon. They meet Prince Bolo and eventually Rashid there as well. So they are on a wild goose chase to find Princess Batcheat, Bolo's wife, and destroy the evil Kattam-Shud that is poisoning the beautiful story waters.

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Summary: the words are are a school of minnow
Review: Have you ever watched them? The most amazing part is the way the school changes direction, swooping off the other way.

Rushdie's language is the same. It flows and swoops. And it's funny. If you're not laughing, you're not paying enough attention.

When I was in high school I was obsessed with Voltaire. He was, and probably always will be, beyond my scope, and probably beyond the scope of Rushdie as well, with important ramblings about Nebuchadnezzar and the meaning of revolution.

But I can't change that I thought of V when I read Haroun.

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Summary: Just the Asian Version of The Phantom Tollbooth
Review: I'm sure you have all already read about the begining of the book, so I am just going to start: This book is horrible.
Once i picked it up, i was sort of hooked, waiting for more things to happenl; but they didn't. The whole book, Haroun is just flying around on his magical Hoopoe or something. The ending scene wasn't even too good. Nothing happened in the book. But poor me, i had to keep on reading it as a class assignment. I would've put it down right on the second page if i could. My teacher loved it, but the rest of my class hated it. We were all falling asleep while we were reading it. 14 year olds should not have to go through this kind of torture with Haroun. If you have ever read the Phantom Tollbooth, and loved it, read this...it is just the Asian version of it.

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Summary: Context and Censorship
Review: The key to understanding "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is to look at the context during which it was written. Salman Rushdie was in hiding, and on the run, after a fatwa had been placed on his head for writing the Satanic Verses. He was away from his wife and child (the latter for whom the book was written).
Essentially, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is a story about censorship. The protagonist participates in a war between the forces of speech and the forces of silence. There are two events which precipitate this war: 1) Princess Batcheet, of the land of storytellers (Gup), is kidnapped by the armies of the land of silence (Chup), and 2) the Ocean of the Streams of Stories, the source of all the stories in the world, is poisoned by the ruler of Chup.
The people of Gup are faced with a major decision. They only have resources to fight one battle and the question is often asked: "What is more important? The Story? Or the Storyteller?" Is the story more important than the ability to tell it and the person who is communicating it?
What is even more poignant in this tale is that Rushdie has made the Princess an unlikable character: she is ugly, has a screechy voice, and makes improper, invaluable, or disrespectful comments when she speaks. Rushdie was Princess Batcheet at the time this book was written. The price on his head was placed over improper, invaluable, or disrespectful comments (as viewed by some populations in the world) he had written in the Satanic Verses.
In the end, both the person and the stories are saved and Rushdie makes his crucial point: one could not exist without the other. Even though the princess is disliked, she is saved because all ideas must have the chance to be expressed- even ideas that have been deemed "bad" or "dangerous". Censorship kills the story and will eventually kill mankind.
Rushdie illustrates that freedom of speech is integral to the survival and evolution of our human culture. In a time when our world is becoming increasingly paranoid about expression and is enacting stricter laws to regulate the dissemination of ideas (perfect example: the fallout over Janet Jackson's Superbowl appearance), Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" stands out as a beacon to those who believe in freedom. This is such an inspirational book for children, and adults, to read. Rushdie is a man who risked his life to share his thoughts with the world- and he lived to tell a story about it.

Rating:
Summary: Starts with Potential, but the Rest is Obviously Forced
Review: This book is written with quite beautiful laguage and wonderfully descriptive words. Rushdie's talent to form perfect pictures with words and to let you enjoy it while he does is unique. Sadly, I'm afraid his ability with words is wasted on this book (and possible all his books, but this is the only one that I've read).

This book is often said to be a fairytale for both children and adults, but I couldn't posssible agree. I am only fourteen years old, but I could not stand this book. I don't see how any adult could find any value in this book, besides the language. I can't even really grasp how anyone below the age of seven would find this book enjoyable.

Haroun, the protagonist, has absolutely no motivation throughout the entire book. Nothing he does seems believable, from yelling at his father for no reason, to simply telling the supposedly terrifying antagonist, that he reminds him of a man he knows back home. A sub-plot in the story is Haroun's inability to pay attention for more than 11 minutes, which simply goes away at the end of the book, and is supposed to be character development. ABSOLUTELY nothing happened throughout the book to cause this change, he just is suddenly able to concentrate longer.

This doesn't even scratch the surface of the problems in the book. Rushdie uses pathetic tools to give the reader information, such as the antagonist walking around his boat with Haroun, carefully telling him all his evil plans, not to mention a secret way to escape from the boat if he really needs to.

Don't buy this book. It is an incredibly lacking story that shouldn't have been published and would not be half as talked about if the author hadn't been so controversial in his other books.

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Summary: The dark forces of humanity can be defeated
Review: This is a tale for all kinds of public. It sure is for children but to teach them in the most attractive way imaginable what grown-ups will understand at once. Society is divided between the people who want to be happy and the leaders who want to control them into unhappiness because unhappiness makes people controllable. Hence the fight of a child and his father to restore happiness in the world, and happiness comes from stories, tales, sagas, and all other imaginative adventures that help people be free in their minds and then strong enough to impose their freedom in society. In other words it is a tool to make people strong and satisfied. Of course one could see an allusion to the moslem world and the dark forces who try to control the minds of the people in that part of the world. But it is a universal story too because it is not much more different in our own part of the world where politicians are just comptrollers in chief of our spirits and brains and imaginations and creativities for their own selfish interest. Brilliant and to be read by all those who believe there is a possible world beyond the world of the narrow and selfcentered and egocentric and bureaucratic interest of the few who use the many to satisfy their greed for power, money and cannibalistic domination.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU