9-1-2008 Haroun and the Sea of Stories

This novel has eerily reminded me of a novel I read a few summers back called American Gods by Neil Gaiman, the graphic novelist and author. The plot involved ancient gods that were brought to America by various explorers and settlers and then abandoned to find their own sacrifices and followers when the importing group died off or lost faith. These ancient gods fought with the new gods of technology and wealth and sex appeal in an epic battle near the end of the novel. Haroun is like the main character in that novel, Shadow, who barely believes in anything until confronted with his half-immortal roots.

In a way, the whole supernatural world of Kahani is an exercise of metafiction. Rushdie approaches his interaction with text as an integration of all forms of story into the gradual unfolding of "new" meaning for Haroun as he starts to appreciate the significance of what his father has devoted his life to. The "new" draws its power from the Old Zone which contains the thread of the original stories. Using characterizations of story elements in The Sea of Stories reminds me of the 9 Muses that inspired Greek poetry and literature. Rushdie intends for connections like this to be made as we become involved in his writing process and the development of Haroun as a character and story-teller.