Shalimar The Clown Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Satanic Verses and our BookBrowse Review of Shalimar The Clown.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Several characters in Shalimar the Clown are known by two or more names: Shalimar/Noman Sher Noman; Boonyi/Bhoomi; India/Kashmira; Peggy /“The Grey Rat.” What is the significance of these multiple names? What is the relationship between given names and nicknames or names that characters choose for themselves?
   


2. The novel presents many examples of different types of magic, some more potent than others: Olga Volga’s potato magic; Nazarebaddoor’s ability to see into the future; Firdaus’s snake charms; the Seventh Sarkar’s attempt to make an entire garden vanish. Why do so many characters believe in and rely on magic? Is the reader meant to believe that their magic is real? Does it need to be real in order to have effect?
   


3. Nazarebaddor and General Kachhwaha are blessed (or cursed) with the abilities of perfect foresight and perfect memory, respectively. Whose gift is more powerful/valuable? Why do both characters end up suffering because of their talents? What is Rushdie trying to say about the nature of the past and the future?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Random House. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.