Winner of the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger In his brilliant third novel, first published in 1983, Salman Rushdie gives us a lively and colorful mixture of history, art, language, politics, and religion. Set in a country "not quite Pakistan," the story centers around the family of two men-- one a celebrated warrior, the other a debauched playboy-- engaged in a protracted duel that is played out in the political landscape of their country.