The Enchantress of Florence is the latest novel to be written by the great author, Salman Rushdie. With this novel, Rushdie has again focused on a female and on how she is trying to establish her identity in a world that is dominated by men. Through his latest venture, he has tried to link the Mughal Empire with the world of Florence (Renaissance). The slated date for the release of ‘The Enchantress of Florence’ is 3rd June 2008. Till then, let us satisfy ourselves with a brief synopsis of the novel.
About the Book
The story of ‘The Enchantress of Florence’ is narrated by a European traveler who introduces himself as 'Mogor dell'Amore', meaning the ‘Mughal of Love’. He comes to the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar and claims to be the son of a lost Mughal princess. The princess is none other than Qara Koz (Lady Black Eyes), the youngest sister of Emperor Babar. She is remembered as an extremely beautiful woman, who is said to be versed in the powers of sorcery. As the story unfolds, we come to know that the princess was first abducted by an Uzbek warlord, then by Shah of Persia & finally became the mistress of Argalia.
Argalia, Florentine soldier, returned to his home with her and instantly, she became a reason for unwarranted trouble. She was a woman who was trying to define her own destiny in a man’s world. Here, we become witness to two entirely different worlds - one of the wild Mughal Empire and the other of sensual Florentine. Holding the power over both the worlds was a woman, who was enchanting as well as bewitching. Now questions like ‘Is Mogor’s story true?’, ‘What happened to Qara Koz?’ start coming into mind. But, to know the answers, you will have to wait till 3rd June, when the novel hits the bookstores.
About the Author
Salman Rushdie is one of the most controversial writers of this century. Born in India, but now a citizen of Britain, the author attained reorganization with his second novel, titled ‘Midnight Children’, which also won him the Booker Prize. Amongst his most famous novels are The Moor's Last Sigh, Satanic Verses, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Haroun and the Sea of Stories. It was Satanic Verses, his forth novel, that created uproar in the Muslim countries that forced him to go underground for many years. Appointed a Knight Bachelor in June’07 for ‘services to literature’, he writes in a style that reminds one of magical realism.
