BUY the eBook: City of Victory

Author: Anita Saran

eBook: City of Victory ISBN 978-81-906865-9-4 79 pages

Buy eBook version: US$4.50

City of Victory is historical fiction by Anita Saran, a Bangalore based author.

This is based on a short story by the author titled ‘Mystery’ which was published in The Deccan Herald and also broadcast as "City of Victory' on BBC in July 2004.

It is said that one visit to the ruins of Hampi -- the erstwhile Vijayanagar -- is just not enough. The surreal rock-strewn landscape seems to sprout temples and the ruins are surrounded by an air of mystery.

'City of Victory' is the story of 16th century Vijayanagar, 'greater than Rome' as the historians Nuniz and Paes put it.

The story, enhanced with photographs of the ruins, will bring back a sumptuous past, and yet a dark past that eventually led to the city's dramatic end.

The story attempts to answer some profound questions:

• Can the queen of the wealthiest city in the world ignore her inevitable end on the funeral pyre of the king?
• Can a longing for love lead to delusion?
• Is it possible for a woman with a tragic and violent history to transform herself into an enlightened being?
• Whose victory will it be in the end?

This is based on a short story by the author titled ‘Mystery’ which was published in The Deccan Herald and also broadcast as "City of Victory' on BBC in July 2004. Hear the story.

Reviews of the eBook

Anita Saran's historical fiction, City of Victory, paints in vivid colors the fascinating and chilling lives of four women in the harem of King Krishna Deva Raya in 16th century Vijayanagar (city of victory).

Jehaan is a free-spirited gypsy girl –unwilling lover to the king, unwilling hand-maid to the queen. She dreams of a man with green eyes who will whisk her away.

The Queen, Nagala Devi, was given to the king as courtesan and teacher when he was only fourteen. She desperately wants to escape from her inevitable end on the king's funeral pyre.

Meherbanu, mentor to these women, having overcome her own tragic past, seeks to give them strength and support. But each woman must deal with the inevitable in her own way.

The 'Vish Kanya', Mandakini, whose very breath is poisonous, longs to escape from her loveless life as dealer of death to the king's enemies.

Shocking and beautiful, City of Victory features female characters that learn to rise above their assigned roles as wives, queens, courtesans, assassins, and ultimately victims.

Black and white photographs of the ruins of the once prosperous City of Victory illustrate the story and form a stark contrast to the vivid images created by the author. This clever device insinuates that we read about a time long gone, while Anita Saran's story offers modern readers insights and advice. We may not face a fiery death, our bodies may not hold poison, but we may feel trapped in many other ways. City of Victory teaches us to take life in our own hands and face with grace what we cannot avert.

- Edith Parzefall

Anita Saran’s short story, City of Victory, is one of the best crafted stories I’ve read in a long time. She has a knack of bringing the setting to the forefront without intrusion. To call this piece of work a short story is an understatement. I find it to be more of a novella.

The story is set in sixteenth century Vijayanagar, a city in South India known as Hampi today. Jehaan is a gypsy girl, who is forced to be one of the maids of honor to the queen. This gives her great privilege: jewels, fine clothes, and good food. But Jehann is not satisfied to be part of this glittering procession. She is an Egyptian and wants to return home to her father and estranged lover. She longs for the fresh air and earth, not a stone floor palace.

Meherbanu escapes a horrible life when she approaches the king and suggests that she care for his zenana (his group of concubines and the queen). He says that he will put her in charge because of her boldness. She becomes the mentor and mother to the women. But what happens to a group of women protected by one man, the king? The author handles this complexity with beauty.

City of Victory had its debut as a broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004. So many of the images haunted me and remained in my mind long after I read the work. The photos that illustrate the book are as interesting as the characters. I’m delighted to say I found this ebook a wonderful experience.

- Ann Hite, Feminist Review, June 2009

Excellent work. Fascinating stuff. A perfect fusion of history and fiction. While reading it, I felt as if I was on a time machine which took me into that era. She has done an excellent job of making the story surreal.

The character of Meherbanu is enchanting and regal . Full of love and compassion.Her strength, beauty, and soul in pursuit of spiritualism out-shone all others.

With descriptive prose and strong characters, Anita successfully portrays the sense of opulence and grandeur of this era, the lives of concubines in the harems of polygamous kings, and the ancient Hindu tradition of Sati. Besides, there is a strong message for followers of the spiritual path. Although none of us can choose not to die, we can choose how to die.

Although the book is set in the fourteenth century, modern readers will immediately identify with the emotions of its characters.Because the premise is so intriguing, one will want to check out fact from fiction using other sources.

For sure, this story will haunt you well after the end.

- Satish Jain, June 2009

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Excerpts from City of Victory

Chapter 1

Jehaan was fascinated by the spectacle, but her eyes searched for those green eyes. Could she see him in the crowd? Could she slip away? Like stars they passed through the night in a train that seemed eternal. Torches flared everywhere, music, wild and unrestrained pulsated. Covering her face with her mantle, she moved away from the pavilion, threading her way through the crowd. The rich, dark blood of twenty four buffaloes and a hundred and fifty sheep bubbled and steamed into the night like some evil miasma. Men, their naked torsos splattered with blood, hacked through the great necks of the bellowing, gurgling bulls in a single sweep of their swords. The limbs of the animals twitched in the throes of death, eyes rolled up to show terrified whites and Jehaan hurried from the scene, retching, overwhelmed by blood,searching in the rising light of a million stars. Her imagination was on fire.The one she sought was a sorcerer. One day he would find her and reveal himself, and he would be as beautiful as the god, Osiris.

Chapter 9

"Be brave my hearts,” she says. “You will never be forgotten. When you are born again, you shall reap the rewards of your courage. But this must be. Allow it to happen. Think not of the flames. Think of what you have enjoyed at court, how pampered you have been, how wealthy and beautiful, how privileged! Think of how well you have provided for your families. They will not lack for anything as long as they live. Remember, your next life depends on your final thoughts. Think not of how pitiful it all is!"

Author

Anita Saran is an author with several award winning publications to her credit.

Her published works include ‘Aditya, the Underwater Boy' (Nehru Children's Book Trust, 1991), ‘Dolphin Girl and other Stories' (Har Anand, Delhi), ‘Circe’ (the American Mojocastle Press). Her essays and stories have been published in the well known online literary journals and publications.

 

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Buy other books by Sabarna Roy at Chillibreeze
9 Lives and a Death

The author has a dedicated page on www.oxfordbookstore.com