Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Written by Salman Rushdie

Narrated by Neil Shah

When Haroun Khalifa’s father, the renowned storyteller Rashid Khalifa, loses his gift of gab, Haroun knows he has to help. Soon, he’s tumbled headfirst into an adventure story of his own, journeying toward the legendary Sea of Stories on the back of a flying Hoopoe bird. There, he finds a host of comical, unforgettable new friends, from Iff the Water Genie to Blabbermouth the page, and at the end of his quest, a formidable enemy—the Prince of Silence, Khattam-Shud himself. At once vastly humorous and deeply tender, Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a fantastical, witty contemporary fable and a powerful statement about the importance of storytelling. Salman Rushdie has created an instant classic—a dazzling read for children and adults alike that both celebrates and embodies the magic of fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781501926235

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie (Bombay, 1947), es autor de numerosos libros, de entre los que destacan Hijos de la medianoche -que ganó el premio Booker en 1981, el «Booker de los Booker» en 1993 y, en 2008, «el Mejor de los Booker»-, Los versos satánicos, El último suspiro del moro, Joseph Anton y Quijote. Ha sido galardonado con el Grinzane Cavour y el Premio Nacional de las Artes de Estados Unidos, además de otros muchos premios. En 2007, Salman Rushdie fue nombrado Caballero del Imperio Británico por su contribución a la literatura. Miembro de la Royal Society of Literature y Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, y abanderado en la lucha por la libertad de expresión, en 2022 sobrevivió a un ataque sufrido mientras dictaba una conferencia en el estado de Nueva York.

[LuciMcK · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lovely children's tale suitable for people of all ages! A new classic.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not my favourite Rushdie, and to be honest, I began to dislike this in the first third. It feels like a remix of Neverending Story and Alice in Wonderland. It got better, but I finished the book thinking that what Rushdie was trying to do with this tale of a story within a story, and looking at where stories come from, just didn't work as intended.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Rushdie book I've read & finished, and its a wonderful story - a fairy tales about where stories come from - with aspects of stories from all around the word. Even where Haroun's homeland is a fairytale, with dreary cities named only for letters, and politicians hire story tellers to tell wonderful fantasy's so that the populace will vote for them. It has hints of 'The Phantom Tool Booth', but while that book was written with a focus on wordplay, this book was written with a focus on stories and what they mean to people.

[farrhon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A little too cute - light on story

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Journeying through this novel was a weird and wonderfully humorous escape. In many ways, it took me back to when I fell in love with The Phantom Tollbooth, much as this may be more geared towards adults and that one wasn't. The humor here was so bubbling and natural to the story, the comparison was automatic, and many of Rushdie's images from this one will stay with me for years to come. I can't say it lived up to the longer works I've loved from him, but that's a high high bar, and I'm still very much looking forward to delving into the next work in this series.

Recommended.

[unsquare_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was also an Audible daily deal. I already owned a used paperback copy, but someone thoroughly marked it up, which I hate (and did not notice before buying.) I thought the audiobook version would be a good alternative, especially since it’s a fairly short book. Rushdie pitched the book a little younger than I was expecting, but I didn’t mind that so much. It was a fun adventure that reminded me a bit of Catherine Valente’s Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own (presumably the influence flowed the other way, but still.)

[CuquisSandoval · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found some extremely important points, such as the poetic way of writing that Salman Rushdie employs, addressing global themes such as: pollution, global warming, the father-son relationship, the search for and discovery of solutions, among others.
Like everything, it has a distant aspect; there are so many characters that I could easily get lost, names that are very difficult to remember, it seems to be written in a format for children, but in reality, it demands deep analysis.
I was greatly impacted by learning about his biography and the attack he suffered in 2012. (Translated from Spanish)

[yabookfest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is wonderful! The story is mostly a fantasy about a journey to a moon whose sea is the source of all stories. Rushdie shares his ideas about how stories are created and constantly evolve in a delightful and colorful way. There are all sorts of fantasy creatures -- both good and evil. Between the lines, he addresses the serious issues of freedom of speech, the dangers of becoming polarized politically, the corruptness of politics. While this might be considered a children's or young adult book, I believe it takes a guiding hand for young people to understand these more serious messages.

[dmturner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delightful book, rich in language. I would like to read it out loud to my students.

[gleipnir-318769 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars. Cute and occasionally witty, but at points it was repetitive and dragged. I've heard comparisons made to The Phantom Tollbooth and I honestly think that The Phantom Tollbooth is the better story, by far.

[zoes_human · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charming, magical, hilarious. Haroun and the Sea of Stories feels like a fairy tale, moves like a fantasy adventure, and reads like literary fiction. It's absolutely appropriate and delightful for all ages. The prose is gorgeous.

[junipersun · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not my style, but I think it would appeal to pre-teen boys. An imaginative journey by a young boy who wants to help his father. Full of puns, silly names, and a non-violent army fighting a polluted ocean on an alternate moon of the earth which has affected Haroun's father.
Some oblique references to political thought: e.g. "why have Freedom of Speech if you aren't going to talk?" [told about a moon country where inhabitants are incessantly talkative]
I think the only reason some well known authors have blurbed this is because we are talking about Rushdie, who has received some persecution from his previous writing.

[tungsten_peerts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There's a lot to enjoy here (for a short book) but in the end I can't say I loved it. I liked it; it was diverting; I'd recommend it happily to others.

This has a bit of wish-dream or deus ex machina on steroids feel to it: no problem lasts very long, because a solution magically arises, more often tha not sooner rather than later -- it's as if the author's impressive inventive capacities went into overdrive and rushed to invent a fix to everything that arose whether 'dramatic necessity' asked for that kind of alacrity or not.

The result is a story without real tension. The reader never doubts that everything is going to be okay.

There also isn't a lot in the way of characterization, but now I feel like I am whining -- what was I expecting, William Styron (I don't honestly know if that's the best name to invoke)? It's a whimsical fantasy tale, for goodness' sake.

Enjoy it.

[Alejolibros18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A definitive work for lovers of storytelling, adventure, and fantasy. (Translated from Spanish)

[browner56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Suppose you are an internationally acclaimed novelist who has written a book that some people view as blasphemous to a revered figure in a major world religion. A leading cleric of the faith tries to silence your voice by issuing a fatwa calling for your immediate assassination. Such is the severity of this decree that your government puts you in protective custody, which effectively makes you a prisoner in your own land with a life sentence to serve. How do you respond to the devastation and turmoil that this oppressive order has caused?

If you are Salman Rushdie, you let your prose do the talking, with Haroun and the Sea of Stories being the result. This absolutely charming book is presented as a fable in which Haroun, a young man from a city so sad it has forgotten its name, embarks on a journey to help his father Rashid recover his gift for story-telling. In the process, both father and son become involved in fantastical endeavor to help the Land of Gup—a country which is the source of creativity in the world and is perpetually bathed in sunlight—defeat the evil lord from Chup, a dark and silent nation that sets out to destroy the Stream of Stories forever.

Although framed as a children’s (or, perhaps, young adult) tale, this book is very much in the tradition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass in that it can also be enjoyed by adults on a completely different level. It is commendable that the author responded to the personal upheaval the fatwa caused with such an upbeat affirmation of the power of imagination and free speech to affect lives for the better. The word play in the novel is also quite wonderful, with many of the character and place names being puns or double entendres in the Hindi language. This was a satisfying reading experience in so many ways, not the least of which was its ability to push the limits of what great fiction can be.

[tangotango-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Ich weiß nicht, ob das Buch "typisch" für seinen Stil ist. Magischer Realismus trifft es auf jeden Fall.
Die Märchengeschichte handelt von einem Jungen, der für seinen Erzähler-Vater den versiegten Geschichtenstrom wiederbeleben will. Dabei gerät er in ein wunderliches Land, muss eine Schlacht gegen die Geschichtenvergifter schlagen (dabei musste ich stark an die Umpa Lumpas aus Charlie und die Schokoladenfabrik denken), gewinnt dabei Freunde, betreibt Bonding mit seinem Vater und bekommt sogar die zuvor durchgebrannte Mutter zurück.

Alles ziemlich blumig erzählt und dadaistisch angehaucht, in einer Sprache, die ich natürlich nur in der Übersetzung beurteilen kann. Jedenfalls viel Fabulierfreude, Wortwitze, angereichert durch Modernismen.
Liest sich jedenfalls ganz nett.
Ich war jedenfalls neugierig, da für meine Generation der Bann auf Rushdie nach seinen Satanischen Versen die erste Erfahrung einer islamistischen Bedrohung war - lange vor dem 11. September und ähnlichem.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There was once, in the country of Alifbay, a sad city, the saddest of cities, a city so ruinously sad that it had forgotten its name.

Haroun's family is the only exception to the sadness. Haroun's father is Rashid, a storyteller known for his cheerfulness. Everything changes when Haroun's mother leaves. Rashid is no longer cheerful, and he loses the power of story. In his determination to help his father recover his talent, Haroun undertakes a fantastical journey to the Ocean of the Streams of Story.

Underneath the layers of fantastical creatures and lands is a story of a young boy in a broken home. Haroun's mother left, Haroun's father is sad all the time, and Haroun blames himself. He thinks he needs to do something to fix things. Many children in broken homes will identify with Haroun's situation. Rushdie has the skill to combine message, characters, and plot without anything seeming forced. The language is simple enough for children to understand, and the allegories are complex enough to hold the interest of adult readers.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These were my journal entries in 2004:

Rushdie is a damned good writer. I'm LOVING this. As with Satanic Verses, I'm savoring every word, every line, trying not to go too fast because I don't want it to be over. I'm halfway through and I can't afford any more time to read it. One more week until school's out and I'll find out what happens in this magical world of (Kahini?)

I'm inspired to read Arabian Nights after this. And of course, more and more Rushdie.
I'll journal more when I'm finished. Thank you for sending this to me!

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Journal entry 5 by cmjuliep from New Hartford , New York USA on Friday, June 25, 2004

Finished it in the park on a perfect day. Ah....summer is here. Loved it...will pass on and buy myself one for my permanant collection---I want to read it to my son when he's a bit older and I want it available to my students, too.

2008: My son would never enjoy this book! :( He is so different from me.

[nataliesw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great introduction to Rushdie's work. Great story.

[dmangst · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick read. The fantastic storyline kept me engaged although some might find it a bit too fanciful.

[ragwaine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was strange and fun, maybe a little too silly for me. I thought it was going to be a bunch of short stories linked together like Arabian Nights but it's actually just a single novel. The length was perfect. I think it ti would have been any longer it would have gotten boring.

As usual Rushdie fills the story with colorful characters and just lets his imagination run wild. This seems like it would make a beautiful graphic novel.

[bluepigeon-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Haroun and the Sea of Stories is certainly a children's book, make no mistake about it. And the storyline is accordingly rather simple, though the storytelling is rather good. As for a genre, Rushdie does a very good job of following the conventions of fairy tales and folk tales, repeating many odd and funny sayings or expressions, interesting and funny names for things and people (you'll find a Hindustani glossary at the back that will explain where some names come from), and characters distinct with singular odd features or talents.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is the "adult elements" that are not necessarily children's stuff (perhaps going back to the original folk tales where nothing is as sugar-coated or watered-down as today's lame versions.) Mother runs off with someone else, politicians deceive people and make them unhappy, Haroun's father, like today's pop-stars, gets recruited to sway the vote of the masses, weird religious sect worships weird statue and performs bloody rituals sewing mouths shut, etc. All of these daily adult stuff is well-woven into the fantastical. The fantastical is nothing shocking or even novel, but perhaps stories and fairy tales are always made up of old ones retold and reshaped, or so we find out in Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Later addition: Rushdie explained that when he went to the south of India, he had a chance to hear one of the most famous storytellers. Apparently, the tradition of oral storytelling is very strong in the south, even though the south has a very high literacy rate. And these storytellers, like the one he saw, perform for hours, starting many stories in stories, singing, dancing, etc. And since they hold thousands of people captivated by their stories for many hours and due to their immense popularity, they are often recruited by political parties to tip over the balance (apparently, the two main parties have about 50-50 votes in the region, so a small sway goes a long way.)
Rushdie also commented on why he explained the foreign words he used in Haroun but did not explain the ones in Luka and the Fire of Life, his latest children's novel, written for his younger son. He said that in the second book, the names do not really add to the story, though it is true that you may enjoy it more if you do know what the words mean. In Haroun, the names of things are an active part of the story; they help move the story forward (he spoke very much like a creative writing teacher about all this, a lot of writing theory...)

[bookwoman247 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Haroun's father, Rashid, (also known as The Ocean of Notions and The Shah of Blah), is a master storyteller who is much in demand.

When Haroun's mother runs off with their neighbor, Rashid completely loses the ability to tell stories.

Haroun's desire to help his father leads to wonderful adventures.

This is storytelling at its very best! Fantasy, adventure, humor, allegory and more all wrapped up in one incredible package, and all so skillfully told. It's brilliant!

I was left with the feeling that Rushdie gave his imagination full rein with this book.

I loved Haroun and the Sea of Stories! This would be a great book for parents to read aloud to older children.

[poindextrix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story that is, in many ways about stories. A truly remarkable read.

[cait815 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the first 2/3 of this book, but by the end it had lost a bit of it's luster. Nevertheless, it was a creative and enjoyable story.

[raschneid_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Rushdie's skill at worldbuilding and words made this a fun read, but I would have enjoyed it even more if we had stronger, more authentic emotional arcs for the characters. Haroun is not a heavy-duty character and at times his voice and motivations are neglected for the sake of exposition. This meant that I didn't feel a strong urge to keep reading.

So, it was merely okay rather than brilliant. But I did like the parable of the Guppies and the Chupwallas, and all those multilingual puns.

[michaelbartley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a beautiful written book, while it could be seen as a childrens' book, like many children's movies and books, it has a lot of depth. I highly recommend the book. I like what Rushdie writes about the shadown side of people.

[cloggiedownunder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Haroun and the Sea of Stories is Salman Rushdie’s fifth fiction book, and his first children’s novel. He dedicated this book to his 10-year-old son Zafar, from whom he had been separated for some time. The story concerns Haroun, the son of storyteller, Rashid Khalifa. Rashid is described as the Ocean of Notions, the Shah of Blah. When a tragic event stops the flow of his father’s stories, Haroun sets out to rectify the situation. In a journey that involves mechanical birds and blue-bearded Water Genies, Plentimaw Fish and Floating Gardeners, a King, Prince and Princess, Pages and Shadow Warriors, heroes and nasty villains, Haroun is faced with numerous challenges and learns much. This is a charming children’s story that has much to offer adults. As an allegorical tale, it appears to comment on bureaucracy: “…a skinny, scrawny, snivelling, drivelling, mingy, stingy, measly, weaselly clerk….”; and “….P2C2E, a Process Too Complicated To Explain…”. Coming not long after the publication of The Satanic Verses and the ensuing fatwa, it comments, too, on freedom of speech, independent thought and imagination, and censorship. Finally, it is a story about the love between a father and son, this being reflected in the dedication to Zafar. There are poems and puns to bring a smile to the lips; wordplay and pleasing repetitions that will have readers of every age chuckling. Delightful allusions to works as varied as Alice in Wonderland, The Beatles’ songs and the Tales of a Thousand and One nights abound. I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it more than any other Rushdie book I have read so far, and I look forward to his next children’s book, Luka and the Fire of Life.

[esquetee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Saw the author speak at ALA in the summer of 2010, reading from the sequel to this book. I put both books on my 12 Books, 12 Months list - they tie in very nicely with the other updated mythology, past-meets-present books in the list.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Young Haroun's father is a gifted storyteller, but when that gift dries up, Haroun takes an unexpected opportunity to get it back for him and soon finds himself traveling to the source of all stories, which is itself facing a terrible danger. It's a charming and highly amusing kids' story of the kind that can be enjoyed equally well by adults, and the concept of the Sea of Stories, where narrative constantly flows and changes and renews itself, is absolutely inspired.