Customer Reviews

The Enchantress of Florence

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Salman Rushdie, unfortunately still seen by many as the scandal writer of "The Satanic Verses" only, has with his new book given us readers again a magnificent novel. "The Enchantress of Florence" is a beautiful and opulent reading feast. Considering that one of the books characters is Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the main time of this novel is the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century. A novel, which skilfully plays with the idea of "1001 Nights and Scheherazade", giving the story-telling role to a young european traveller, yellow haired, calling himself the "Mogor dell'Amore" and claiming to be the child of the lost Mughal princess Qara Koz. He tells his story to the feared Emperor Mughal Akbar, of course knowing that belief or disbelief will decide his fate. Salman Rushdie has written a (sometimes rather frivolous) fable, a wonderful book about love, trust, treachery, enchantment, the art of story-telling and the story of Lady Black Eyes. A tale of many voices, all perfectly united in one whole by Salman Rushdie, who has herewith delivered what I guess is maybe his best novel to date.

As an avid Rushdie fan, I was deeply disappointed with "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" - a jarring mis-step - and was not totally enthralled by "Shalimar the Clown". However, Enchantress is a return to form for an author I genuinely regard as without peer amongst his generation.

What makes Rushdie so great? His use of language is simply staggering. He can construct the most dizzying, dense and multi-dimensional sentences. His prose is certainly convoluted, but it is not at the expense of the story. Far from that, the narrator is often as beguiling a character as any of the main protagonists. If you love the English language, history, theology, philosophy, etymology, art... in fact, anything which might pique a curious mind, Rushdie offers a cocktail of wonderment for the senses.

I see no reason to explain the premise or the storyline - you can read that in Amazon's description, and equally, it is only half the reason to read this novel and is, as always with Rushdie's work, an allegory for deeper philosophical and geo-political theses.

Rushdie's books are something of a challenge to read - his prose is not light and economical - but the challenge is well-worth taking. Nothing good ever comes easy. This is such an enjoyable book - I hope it's a lasting return to form.

Years ago (more than I'd like to think about), one of my tutors recommended that I read Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories." I tried to finish the novel but have to confess that I didn't. I probably lacked the sophistication back then to appreciate the exquisite prose style and painstaking craftsmanship that went into creating that award winning novel. And truthfully speaking I rather thought that Salman Rushdie was going to be one of the many winning authours that would never make to my reading pile. But something about "The Enchantress of Florence" beckoned, and I decided to give it a go. And I'm truly glad that I did. What an exceptionally enthralling and compelling read "The Enchantress of Florence" turned out to be.

The Mughal Emperor, Akbar, is ready for a diversion away from the woes of family and ruling a vast nation, when a mysterious yellow-haired stranger arrives at his court in Fatepur Sikri, claiming to be an ambassador from England. The stranger has many tales to tell about the distant European city of Florence, and the enchantress from the East that enraptured the people of Florence with her beauty and grace, and soon everyone in Sikri is enthralled by the young storyteller's tales. But will these stories prove the undoing of the court, and will Akbar's growing affection for the storyteller cause even more strife amongst his family?

When I was a child, my mother used to subscribe to an Indian magazine for women that had recipes, articles, sewing tips and vignettes about Akbar and his wise advisor Birbal. Reading "The Enchantress of Florence" transported me back to those wonderful carefree days. Constructed somewhat like "The Arabian Nights," with the mysterious stranger playing the part of Scherazade, "The Enchantress of Florence" is a series of short stories that follows the supposed adventures of Qara Koz, a grandaunt of Akbar's, and that of her greatest love, the mercenary general, Argalia. Many of the stories are based on some historical fact, but are told with elements of the fantastical, so that the mood and atmosphere of the novel is really quite fairy-tale like and dazzling. Also adding to this magical tone is Rushdie's powerfully lyrical and vivid prose style and brilliantly rendered scenes. All in all, this was a very, very fascinating and beguiling read that enraptures, dazzles and seduces. Not a book to be missed -- and I think I may be finally grown-up enough to appreciate the authour's other novels

Imagine a king, a foreigner, a lost princess and a queen who does not really exist but has a mind of her own, and talks, makes love and has her own servants. The latest novel by Salman Rushdie, which I believe to be one of the greatest author of our time, is full of enchantment, stories, and imagination.
This is once again a complex novel by Rushdie, and I believe that I need to read it again to fully comprehend the meaning hiding between the lines. At this point I would say it is an ode to imagination. Rushdie shows that imagination helps us see beyond the borders and what is directly in front of us. It can even bring people to life, such as King Akbar's imaginary wife Jodha, and it can bring us wisdom and tolerance of other worlds. Too much imagination, however, may cause us to lose all touch with reality.
What also stands out in this novel is the issue of religion. Not so much a religion in particular, but religion in general. Rushdie seems to critique monotheism as detrimental to one's imagination, as well as polytheism as imagination run amok.

I give it a tentative 4 stars because the language was once again amazingly beautiful, but I'm not fully convinced I like this novel. It is too Arabian nights for my taste, that is to say, full of princes and kings, giants and warriors, jealous queens and princesses, enchanted pictures and omens, castles and dungeons, etc., etc. While some readers might feel that this adds value to the novel I can't help but feeling it is a bit cliché. Because even though Rushdie is an icon of magical realism, I believe his previous books have a magical quality that has evolved far beyond that of Arabian nights.
But I'm still willing to believe that if I read it again I might appreciate it better.

Who breathes life into whom in Salmon Rushdie's latest book, The Enchantress of Florence, the women or the men?
Who believes whom regarding passion, incest, protocol, deceit and corruptionin the sixteenth century?

The Indian princess known as Qara Kos is a descendent of Ghengis Kahn, Timor the Lame and then a few generations later is aunt to Akbar, great military emperor of peace. Her companion is known as the Mirror and both are called Angelica. Through travels and men in the late 1500's, they bring together two far away cities, Florence and Akbar's creation of Fathepur Sikri, capital of India , an hour from Agra, both sharing debauchery, controversial power, philosophy, consciousness of reason, loss, secrets embracing a world of courtesans, wives or fictitious lovers.

Rushdie casts a spell with highly inventive fiction based on carefully documented historical data to combine fact and fable. This reader wonders if he might have been inspired by the tradition of ancient Persian tales such as Alladin's Lamp from Tales of One Thousand Nights - such storytelling perhaps part of Rushdie's heritage to make him a sorcerer like some of his characters.

Florence is the backdrop for the youthful relationship of three male friends each who embark on different lives, which leads to the arrival of Qara Kos in Florence and later supposed offspring who then seeks out his relationship with his distant relative, Akbar, Shelter of the World, Elephant King. Fatehpur Sikri comes alive during its short fifteen-year existence. Time plays a curious role in the unfolding of events.

Where lies the mystery, magic and witchcraft when Akbar, a leader without knowledge to read, searches for answers by bringing to his court some of the greatest minds around the world? Water was crucial to the existence of Sikri fortress in the desert. Sophisticated systems for reservoirs and canals were devised -even today incomprehensible, how. Then the plug was pulled, water gone and the kingdom fell to its ruin. Akbar felt deceived though was it his visitor/distant relation whom he had deceived that broke him?

Unlike Rushdie's controversial Satanic Verses - a dense labyrinth of intellectualized ideas, not so easy to follow though an example a great mind at work - this narrative feels more resolved. Sensitivity and curiosity makes one think that the writer's own fascination with the story has conjured the magic of telling it.

Renaissance Florence is around every corner, all walks of life through much political unrest. For those that have visited the magnificent ruins of Fathepur Sikri or have not, the trials of Akbar's vision for tolerance and love soar beyond conventional barriers of poetic prose, one of Rushdie's signature feats.

Not without challenge to keep wanderings of the tale centered, a full circle intrigue of dynasties unfold with a terrific pace until the final sentence....... maintaining Rushdie as among the highly respected, multi-cultural writers of our time.

The Enchantress of Florence is the 10th book by Salman Rushdie. Set amongst the extremes and excesses of Renaissance Florence and in the city of Fatehpur Sikri in Mughal India, it tells the story of a hidden Mughal princess, Princess Qara Köz, the Lady Black Eyes, also known as Angelica, who had the ability to enchant both men and women. The story is told to the Hindustan Emperor Abul-Fath Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, The Grand Mughal, grandson of Babar, by a Florentine storyteller dressed in a long patchwork cloak made up of bright harlequin lozenges of leather, the yellow haired Niccoló Antonino Vespucci, who called himself Mogol dell'Amore, and seems also to be an enchanter. Akbar, listening to him, thought: "...that witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits or magic words. Language upon a silvered tongue affords enchantment enough." This tale abounds with battles won and lost, villains and heroes, slaves and sultans, soldiers and sailors, witches and magic, lovers real and imaginary; the Medicis, Machiavelli, Argalia, various Vespuccis and Vlad the Impaler all make an appearance. While Rushdie's usual wordplay and much of his magical reality are absent, this novel is full of luscious prose; there is much rich detail, the characters are memorable and the plot is excellent; it had some of the feel of Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I enjoyed this book much more than either Midnight's Children or the Moor's Last Sigh.

Be ready to plunge into a world where time, space, and reason, although present, take leaps and turns that make the reader question the story, the characters, and even the author. This is, however, what makes "The Enchantress of Florence" exquisite. "The Enchantress of Florence" is an elaborate embroidery in the making, the intricate image of which is not visible until the final stitch is sown.

In short, "The Enchantress of Florence" is the story of the Mogor Dell'Amore and his story told to the Mughul Akbar. The story fans out encompassing Akbar's rule and house, the story of Mogor Dell'Amore's father in Florence, enchantresses in both the East and the West, and all things inbetween. This is a novel, where it is difficult to draw a line between facts and details grounded in history and those grounded in the corners of Salman Rushdie's mind.

I found the names of the characters a little difficult to memorize at times and had to flip back through the novel. There are many wonderful and thought provoking details in "The Enchantress of Florence" and these I find to be the jewels of the novel. "The Enchantress of Florence" is not an easy novel to read, it requires the plunge, but oh what a plunge.

Louise

NOTE: THOUGH I HAVE KEPT OUT OF THIS REVIEW THE MOST IMPORTANT SPOILERS, SOME READERS MIGHT THINK IT STILL CONTAINS TOO MANY OF THEM.

One of the chapters ends: "Witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits or magic wands. Language upon a silver tongue affords enchantment enough." Salman Rushdie knows whereof he speaks! Unlike an earlier reviewer, I found his language limpid and often poetical, without the verbal pyrotechnics and the straining after effect as in `Midnight's Children' or `The Satanic Verses'. This book is rather closer to `Haroun and the Sea of Stories', the wise fairy story Rushdie wrote for his then eleven year old son and one of my absolute favourites. This novel is an adult (and sometimes bawdy, and sometimes coarse) fairy story, mixed with the early 16th century history of India, the Middle East and Italy, of all of which Salman Rushdie has a very thorough and detailed knowledge.

It begins in Fatehpur Sikri, the Moghul capital of Akbar the Great. My own knowledge of the Moghul Empire is too sketchy to allow me to catch all the allusions to its history or to be able always to tell what is fact and what is fiction: for that I would have to read some of the books in the seven page bibliography at the end of the book. I knew that the Emperor Akbar mulled over philosophical questions; but was it originally he or Salman Rushdie who fantasized the existence of Jodha, a wife more perfect and more real to him than any of the many real wives he kept in his palace? At any rate, Rushdie makes her seem almost real to us.

And then an Italian adventurer, a self-confident teller of tales, turns up at Akbar's court and claims to be his uncle, the son of the Emperor's lost great-aunt. The Emperor of course wants to know how this could be, given the discrepancy between the age of the lost princess and that of her purported son. The latter now tells a long story - again a mixture of history and fantasy, much of it set in Italy. The lost princess, a literally bewitchingly beautiful woman, the Enchantress of the title, had undergone many vicissitudes, had been seized as a trophy by one warrior after another: an Uzbek Khan, a Persian Shah - historical figures, these - and then by Argalia, the Italian-born head of the Ottoman janissaries, who, fleeing from the Sultan's suspicions of him, brought her to his native city of Florence. There Argalia was reunited with the friend of his youth, Niccolo Machiavelli who, after a prominent career as servant of the Florentine Republic, was now, under the restored Medici Duke, in disgrace. (Machiavelli's reflections - on the nature of power, on what the people expect from their rulers, and how important `magic' is in the lives of people and rulers alike - were just as important in Renaissance Italy as they were in the Mughal Empire.)

Argalia became the Medici Duke's chief condottiere, while the princess duly casts her magical and beneficent enchantment over the entire city, from the Duke downwards.

It would be a spoiler to tell how this part of the story told by the story-teller ends.

Akbar was well aware that the story teller could not be his uncle; but the Emperor had become fond of him; and as the stories spread among his people, the story teller became beloved of them also. For Akbar the Enchantress of Florence had become so real that his fantasy of her displaced his fantasy of Jodha. For his people, too, the Enchantress became `the people's princess'. The story-teller became a key figure at the court, and he showed himself as skilled in administration as he was in story-telling. Akbar contemplated making this foreigner his heir, and he muses whether this would be a good or a bad thing to do. The historical Akbar is famous for wishing to reconcile all traditions, Muslim as well as Hindu; so why not Indian as well as European? Is not what human beings have in common more important than their differences? This is of course also at the heart of the philosophy of Salman Rushdie, of this citizen of the world who is himself a bridge between Europe and Asia.

Rushdie is the supreme story teller, and of his inventions there is no end. There is one further twist in the story which I must not reveal. The Emperor finally demands an explanation of the age discrepancy between his great aunt and her supposed son. The latter freewheels into inventing a part of the world in which Time is not what it was in India. It is the tallest of tall stories. Did it convince the Emperor? And did it save the story teller? Read and find out.

Oh to read a beautiful book again. This is up there with The Moor's Last Sigh and so breathtakingly skilful you forget the craft and just wallow in the writing. Rushdie is unlike any other writer I know - untouchable maybe for his sheer (effortless) ability to bring you into a world and weave his magic so you cannot leave til the last page. There are not many books I would wish to read twice, but this is definitely one of them. Thank goodness Rushdie is back on top form.

Salman Rushdie has a reputation for being one of the most significant and talented literary voices in the World and this novel clearly shows why. "The Enchantress of Florence" is set in sixteenth century, and its plot spans several generations, two continents and a few kingdoms and empires. Its elaborate plot would certainly overwhelmed any lesser writer, but Rushdie manages to confidently raise to the challenges that he sets up for himself. The historic setting of the narrative, the erudition that went into the writing of this novel, and the elaborate and unexpected plot twists in many respects remind one of the works of Umberto Eco. And yet what truly intrigues one with this novel is the persistent seduction of the high-level literary style. Rushdie manages to be baroque with his language and ideas, without being pretentious or overbearing. With him you just know that all that sophistication in expressions and style comes naturally as an outgrowth of his talent.

The one problem that I have with the book is that all of the characters and situations seem oversexualized, even by the standards of the 21st century. The book is by no means graphic when it comes to sexual content, but there is hardly a page on which some sexual theme is not dealt with, either explicitly or explicitly. It could be in fact that the setting and the narrative of the book are in fact some grand sexual allegory, but I am not sophisticated enough to be able to discern it without spending a lot of time on this matter.

Overall, a very good book. Interesting and elaborate, with enough twists of plot to keep one coming back to it. A good read.