The Enchantress of Florence

Last updated

The Enchantress of Florence
Enchantress of florence.jpg
Cover of the first edition
Author Salman Rushdie
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
Publisher Random House
Publication date
11 April 2008
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages352 pp. (first edition, hardback)
ISBN 0-375-50433-8 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC 187302674
Preceded by Shalimar the Clown  
Followed by Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights  

The Enchantress of Florence is the ninth novel by Salman Rushdie, published in 2008. [1] According to Rushdie this is his "most researched book" which required "years and years of reading". [2]

Contents

The novel was published on 11 April 2008 by Jonathan Cape London, and in the United States by Random House. [3]

Plot outline

The central theme of The Enchantress of Florence is the visit of a European to the Mughal emperor Akbar's court and his claim that he is a long lost relative of Akbar, born of an exiled Indian princess and an Italian from Florence. The story moves between continents, the court of Akbar to Renaissance Florence mixing history, fantasy and fable. [2]

Part one

The tale of adventure begins in Fatehpur Sikri, the capital of Mughal emperor Akbar the Great, when a stranger arrives, having stowed away on a pirate ship captained by the Scottish Lord Hauksbank, and sets the Mughal court talking and looking back into its past.

Part two

The stranger begins to tell Akbar the tale, going back to the boyhood of three friends in Florence, Il Machia, Ago Vespucci and Nino Argalia, the last of whom became an adventurer in the East.

Part three

The tale returns to the mobs and clamour of Florence in the hands of the House of Medici.

An eight-page bibliography follows the end of the story. [4]

Major themes

The book relates a succession of interweaving stories by a variety of storytellers, travellers and adventurers and of course touches on the histories and cultures of the various settings including the Mughal and Ottoman Empires, the earlier Mongols, and Renaissance Florence. There is a strong theme of sex and eroticism, much of it surrounding the Enchantress of the book's title, who was inspired by the Renaissance poem Orlando Furioso . There is also a recurring discussion of humanism and debate as opposed to authoritarianism, and Machiavelli is a character in the book. [5] Like Rushdie's previous works, the book can be considered a work of magic realism.

Fictional characters

Historical characters

Mughal Empire

Safavid dynasty

Ottoman Empire

Western

Other

Critical reception

Culture Critic assessed critical response as an aggregated score of 76% based on British and American press reviews. [6] On Bookmarks January/February 2011 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg (3.00 out of 5) from based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "The Washington Post sums up general sentiment: If one can overlook its flaws, The Enchantress of Florence is "so delightful an homage to Renaissance magic and wonder". [7] Globally, Complete Review saying on the consensus "No consensus, very differing opinions". [8]

Writing in The Guardian , Ursula K. Le Guin called it a "brilliant, fascinating, generous novel", and praised its "glamour and power, its humour and shock, its verve, its glory". [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayezid I</span> 4th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402

Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of Sultan-i Rûm, Rûm being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 1394, Bayezid unsuccessfully besieged Constantinople. Bayezid vanquished all the Beyliks and proceeded to conquer and vassalize the entirety of Anatolia. In 1402, he once more besieged Constantinople, appearing to find success, but he ultimately withdrew due to the invasion of the Mongol conqueror Timur. He defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Nicopolis in what is now Bulgaria in 1396. He was later defeated and captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and died in captivity in March 1403, which triggered the Ottoman Interregnum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayezid II</span> Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 1481 to 1512

Bayezid II was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne to his son, Selim I. Bayezid evacuated Sephardi Jews from Spain following the fall of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and the proclamation of the Alhambra Decree and resettled them throughout Ottoman lands, especially in Salonica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babur</span> Mughal emperor from 1526 to 1530

Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also given the posthumous name of Firdaws Makani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humayun</span> Mughal emperor during 1530–1540 and 1555–1556

Nasir al-Din Muhammad, commonly known by his regnal name Humayun, was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to his death in 1556. At the time of his death, the Mughal Empire spanned almost one million square kilometers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th century</span> One hundred years, from 1501 to 1600

The 16th century began with the Julian year 1501 and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1512</span> Calendar year

Year 1512 (MDXII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birbal</span> Mughal advisor at Akbars court, appearing in many folk tales which focus on his wide thinking power

Mahesh Das, popularly known by his title RajaBirbal, was an Indian minister and commander of the Mughal Empire. He is mostly known in the Indian subcontinent for the folk tales which focus on his wit. He was appointed by Akbar and was one of his most important courtiers, part of a group called the navaratnas. In February 1586, he led an army to crush an unrest in the north-west Indian subcontinent where he was killed along with many troops in an ambush by a rebel tribe. He was the only Hindu to adopt Din-i Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar.

<i>Akbarnama</i> 16th-century book by Mughal historian Abul-Fazl

The Akbarnama, is the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, commissioned by Akbar himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abul Fazl. It was written in Persian, which was the literary language of the Mughals, and includes vivid and detailed descriptions of his life and times. It followed the Baburnama, the more personal memoir by his grandfather, Babur, founder of the dynasty. It was produced in the form of lavishly illustrated manuscripts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bairam Khan</span> Mughal military commander and statesman (1501–1561)

Muhammad Bairam Khan, commonly known as Bairam Khan or Bayram Khan was an important military commander, and later commander-in-chief of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal Emperors, Humayun and Akbar. He was also the guardian, chief mentor, adviser, teacher and the most trusted ally of Akbar. Akbar honoured him as Khan-i-Khanan, which means "King of Kings". Bairam was originally called Bairam "Beg", but later became honoured as Khan. Bairam Khan was an aggressive general who was determined to restore Mughal authority in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan</span> Mughal court poet and minister (1556–1627)

Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim, popularly known as simply Rahim and titled Khan-i-Khanan, was a poet who lived in India during the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar, who was Rahim's mentor. He was one of the nine important ministers (dewan) in Akbar's court, known as the Navaratnas. Rahim was known for his Hindustani dohe (couplets) and his books on astrology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamran Mirza</span> Shahzada of the Mughal Empire

Kamran Mirza was the second son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal Emperor. Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul to Babur's wife Gulrukh Begum. He was half-brother to Babur's eldest son Humayun, who would go on and inherit the Mughal throne, but he was full-brother to Babur's third son, Askari. A divan written in Persian and Chagatai is attributed to him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulbadan Begum</span> Shahzadi of the Mughal Empire

Gulbadan Begum was a Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medici giraffe</span> First live giraffe in Europe since Ancient Rome

The Medici giraffe was a giraffe presented to Lorenzo de' Medici on November 18, 1487, by al-Ashraf Qaitbay, the Burji Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, in an attempt to win the support of the Medici.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khusrau Mirza</span> Mughal prince (1587–1622)

Khusrau Mirza was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his first wife, Shah Begum. The young prince displayed exceptional skills and wisdom and had the privilege to be groomed by the Mughal Emperor (Akbar) himself for the throne of the Mughal Empire. He turned out to be the most capable and qualified son of Jahangir but was befallen by an unfortunate destiny. Being Jahangir's eldest son, he was the heir-apparent to his father but Jahangir favoured his son Khurram Mirza as he held an animosity against Khusrau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akbar</span> Mughal emperor from 1556 to 1605

Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, popularly known as Akbar the Great, and also as Akbar I, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in the Indian subcontinent. He is generally considered one of the greatest emperors in Indian history and led a successful campaign to unify the various kingdoms of Hindūstān or India proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Niccolò Machiavelli</span>

This timeline lists important events relevant to the life of the Italian diplomat, writer and political philosopher Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469–1527).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindal Mirza</span> 16th-century Mughal prince in India

Abu'l-Nasir Muhammad, better known by the sobriquet Hindal, was a Mughal prince and the youngest son of Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal emperor. He was also the older brother of Gulbadan Begum, the younger half-brother of the second Mughal emperor Humayun, as well as the paternal-uncle and father-in-law of the third Mughal emperor Akbar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khanzada Begum</span> Elder sister of Emperor Babur

Khanzada Begum was a Timurid princess and the eldest daughter of Umar Shaikh Mirza II, the amir of Ferghana. She was also the elder sister of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. She and her brother remained deeply attached to each other all their lives, a period during which the family progressed from ruling a tiny and obscure principality in Central Asia to ruling a large portion of the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the Mughal Empire</span>

The foreign relations of the Mughal Empire were characterized by competition with the Persian Empire to the west, the Marathas and others to the south, and the British to the east. Steps were taken by successive Mughal rulers to secure the western frontiers of India. The Khyber Pass along the Kabul- Qandahar route was the natural defence for India, and their foreign policy revolved around securing these outposts, as also balancing the rise of powerful empires in the region.

References

  1. "Freshnews article".
  2. 1 2 "Imagining the self and the world". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 13 April 2008. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008.
  3. David Gates, "A World of Marvels", Sunday Book Review, The New York Times, 8 June 2008. Accessed 3 December 2017.
  4. "A Woman's Struggle: Rushdie's "Enchantress"". All Things Considered. NPR. 9 June 2008.
  5. "Salman Rushdie Spins a Yarn – a Barnes and Noble interview with the author". Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  6. "Salman Rushdie – The Enchantress of Florence". Culture Critic. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  7. "The Enchantress of Florence By Salman Rushdie". Bookmarks. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  8. "The Enchantress of Florence". Complete Review. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  9. Guin, Ursula K. Le (29 March 2008). "The real uses of enchantment". The Guardian.