We're back with another towering work from one of the most noteworthy names in modern literature. *Midnight's Children,* published in 1981, is considered the seminal work from Indian-British writer, Salman Rushdie. The novel is what some describe as magical realism, though Rushdie prefers self describes as a "Surrealist" author. In the novel we follow one narrator and protagonist, Saleem Sinai, through the turbulent years of India's transition from British colonial rule to independence and partition. It is rich postcolonial, postmodern, self-reflexive work which strives to preserve history by way of story, rather than facts and data. The novel not only won the Booker prize for fiction in 1981 but was dubbed "Best of the Bookers" twelve years later. If you appreciate Jose Luis Borges, Neil Gaiman, surrealist/magical realism, or high-literature you will likely enjoy this tome. Don't let our meandering conversation steer you wrong — this one is a must read. We hope you enjoy ✌️ *Episode Notes* 0:00 - Intro and Casting 3:00 - Our lack of historical perspective for India and Pakistan 5:00 - On surrealism and Salman Rushdie’s masterclass 7:30 - Significance and historicity of Midnight’s Children 11:30 - Comparable books and Plot Summary 15:00 - Motifs and Plot Summary 25:00 - On Saleem’s Family and other Characters 29:00 - Saleem’s reliability as a narrator 33:00 - Shiva as a character and myth 38:00 - Nature and nurture in the novel 42:00 - The multi-genre nature of the novel 43:45 - Multi-culturality of India 48:30 - Wholeness and fragmentation 51:00 - Religion and conflict in the novel 56:00 - The beauty of fiction versus facts 58:00 - Closing sequence 1:01:00 - On Memory as a theme 1:06:00 - History and Rushdie’s main thesis 1:11:00 - Literary style of the novel 1:15:00 - Overall thoughts on the book 1:21:00 - Self reflexive art