by Salman Rushdie
A captivating fantasy novel for readers of all ages, by the author of Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses
“This is, simply put, a book for anyone who loves a good story. It’s also a work of literary genius.” —Stephen King
Set in an exotic Eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Salman Rushdie’s classic children’s novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver’s Travels, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. Haroun, a 12-year-old boy sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.
Softcover, 224 pages.
Puffin Books.
Recommended for ~11 years old (Grade 6) and up.
About the Author:
SALMAN RUSHDIE is the author of fourteen previous novels, including Midnight’s Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), Shame, The Satanic Verses, The Moor’s Last Sigh, and Quichotte, all of which have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize; a collection of stories, East, West; a memoir, Joseph Anton; a work of reportage, The Jaguar Smile; and three collections of essays, most recently Languages of Truth. His books have been translated into over forty languages. His many awards include the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel, which he won twice; the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award; the National Arts Award; the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger; the European Union’s Aristeion Prize for Literature; the Budapest Grand Prize for Literature; and the Italian Premio Grinzane Cavour. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. A former president of PEN America, Rushdie was knighted by the Queen in 2007 for services to literature, and in June 2022 named to the exclusive Companion of Honour award in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours.
About this edition:
It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson's recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin's own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility. With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische's hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series debuted with an 'A' for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a 'B' for Charlotte Brönte's Jane Eyre, and a 'C' for Willa Cather's My Ántonia. It continues with more perennial classics, perfect to give as elegant gifts or to showcase on your own shelves.
Praise:
“A performance that dazzles the eye as it erupts triumphantly out of the dark in a display of fireworks.”
—Anita Desai, The Washington Post Book World
“Fantastical, funny, whooping through drama and comedy, good and evil, introducing creatures delightful or frightening, this joyous and tender book is a whole Arabian Nights entertainment.”
—Nadine Gordimer, The Times Literary Supplement
“A lively, wonderfully inventive comic tale . . . His own Sea of Stories from which he drew this entertaining and moving book continues to flow as clear and brilliant as ever.”
—Alison Lurie, The New York Times Book Review
“Wonderful . . . A novel of tremendous charm . . . A tribute to the pleasures, and terrible powers of storytelling . . . As lively and impassioned as any of his previous novels, but this time full of love.” —Newsweek
“Fantasy, adventure, and allegory in a beautiful mix . . . Salman Rushdie reappears enriched as a human being and as a writer.”
—Mario Vargas Llosa
“Eloquent and rejuvenative . . . A testament to the magic and power of a child’s belief, and to Rushdie’s undaunted optimism for the future.”
—Newsday
“Rushdie’s gifts include wit and wildness in a sharp engagement with the world’s complexities.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Rushdie is a master of brilliant, seductive language. . . . He transforms his story into the lush, arcane fabric of myth. It is a tale of high adventure, deep sadness, and miraculous recovery—a landmark work from one of today’s most important writers.”
—Self
“Like all good fables and fairy tales, Haroun and the Sea of Stories yields its riches on many levels. Readers will relish the wordplay and multilingual punning.”
—Boston Sunday Herald
“A defiantly high-spirited and chivalrous novel.”
—Vanity Fair
“Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a wonderful novel, timeless in the way fine literature is always timeless.”
—Stephen King
“I enjoyed this adventure story. . . . It involves you at once and keeps you reading, and so it should, for it’s from the same magic land as Sinbad, The Thousand and One Nights, The Golden Fleece.”
—Doris Lessing
“Full of light and magic . . . A testimony to creativity, and to the gentle strength of hope.”
—The Boston Sunday Globe
