Victory City

Salman Rushdie

56 pages 1-hour read

Salman Rushdie

Victory City

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Pampa Kampana is a magically empowered prophetess and the founder of the Bisnaga Empire. Possessing supernatural longevity and the power to create a city from seeds, she dedicates her life to building a society where women hold equal power to men. Her traumatic childhood fuels her progressive ambitions, pushing her to use her magic and political influence to shape the culture of the newly formed civilization.

Key Relationships

Abuser of Vidyasagar

Husband of Hukka Sangama

Husband of Bukka Sangama

Romantic interest of Domingo Nunes

Mother of Yotshna

Mother of Zerelda

Mother of Yuktasri

Bonded to Parvati

Magically connected to Krishna

Krishna is a prominent king of the Bisnaga Empire who takes power long after its founding. He balances his royal ambitions with a policy of religious pluralism and military expansion, maintaining an arrogant belief in his own godlike importance. He works to manage competing factions within his kingdom while dealing with intense rivalries among his wives.

Key Relationships

Romantic interest of Zerelda Li

Husband of Tirumala

Brother of Achyuta

Father of Tirumalamba

Father of Tirumala Deva

Advised by Saluva Timmarasu

Warily connected to Pampa Kampana

Vidyasagar begins as an ascetic monk but quickly establishes himself as a powerful religious authority in Bisnaga. He preaches conservative values and actively opposes attempts to build an egalitarian society. His early, severe abuse of a young girl establishes a lifelong enmity that influences the political direction of the empire.

Key Relationships

Abuser of Pampa Kampana

Advisor to Hukka Sangama

Brother of Sayana

Supporting Characters

Zerelda Li is a skilled warrior descended from the founders of Bisnaga. Having lived a life of constant travel aboard ships, she desires to finally settle down in her ancestral homeland. She utilizes her combat skills to gain influence in the royal court, securing a complex position with the current ruler.

Key Relationships

Descendant of Pampa Kampana

Romantic interest of Krishna

Rival of Tirumala

Hukka Sangama is one of the founders and the first king of Bisnaga. He uses magical seeds to establish the empire alongside his brother, working to manage a suddenly manifested population. His reign involves an increasing shift toward puritanical views and jealousy over his wife's affections.

Key Relationships

Brother of Bukka Sangama

Husband of Pampa Kampana

Brother of Pukka

Brother of Chukka

Brother of Dev

Advised by Vidyasagar

Acquaintance of Domingo Nunes

Bukka Sangama is the second king of Bisnaga, ascending to the throne after his brother. He prefers religious pluralism over conservative puritanism, creating a prosperous period for the city. He frequently seeks out non-traditional advice, visiting taverns to engage with underground thinkers.

Key Relationships

Brother of Hukka Sangama

Husband of Pampa Kampana

Father of Bhagwat

Father of Erapalli

Father of Gundappa

Friend of Haleya Kote

Domingo Nunes is a Portuguese trader who inadvertently gives Bisnaga its name due to his mispronunciations. He introduces gunpowder to the city and leaves a lasting genetic and cultural mark on the empire. His likeness mysteriously recur in subsequent generations of European visitors.

Key Relationships

Romantic interest of Pampa Kampana

Father of Yotshna

Father of Zerelda

Father of Yuktasri

Acquaintance of Hukka Sangama

Haleya Kote is an old soldier and the secret author of a radical pamphlet critiquing religious excess. He uses his sharp intellect to advise the throne under Bukka and later serves as a loyal ally during times of upheaval, assisting the royal women in dangerous situations.

Key Relationships

Friend of Bukka Sangama

Romantic interest of Yotshna

Yotshna is one of the royal daughters raised with the expectation of equal power in the empire. She experiences exile in an enchanted forest, where her emotional needs and romantic attachments create deep friction within her family structure.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Pampa Kampana

Daughter of Domingo Nunes

Sister of Zerelda

Sister of Yuktasri

Romantic interest of Haleya Kote

Zerelda is a royal daughter of Bisnaga who seeks adventure beyond the confines of her sheltered life. She focuses on her combat abilities and develops an intense curiosity about the wider world, choosing to leave the enchanted forest to travel.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Pampa Kampana

Daughter of Domingo Nunes

Sister of Yotshna

Sister of Yuktasri

Romantic interest of Grandmaster Li Ye-He

Yuktasri is a princess known for her deep connection to the natural world. During her time in exile, she embraces a nocturnal lifestyle, learns the language of animals, and feels drawn to the wild, feminine forces present in the woods.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Pampa Kampana

Daughter of Domingo Nunes

Sister of Yotshna

Sister of Zerelda

Grandmaster Li Ye-He is a highly skilled Chinese swordsman. He protects the royal women during their flight from the city and proves his exceptional self-knowledge by retaining his male form upon entering a specifically enchanted area of the forest.

Key Relationships

Romantic interest of Zerelda

Tirumala is a princess known for her tyrannical habits and strategic mind. She fiercely defends her position at court, utilizing a vast knowledge of poisons and engaging in an intense, lifelong rivalry to secure the throne for her specific lineage.

Key Relationships

Wife of Krishna

Daughter of Nagala

Mother of Tirumalamba

Mother of Tirumala Deva

Rival of Zerelda Li

Tirumalamba is a royal daughter who feels increasingly alienated from her ambitious mother. She develops an interest in literature and forms a close bond with older generations in the palace, frequently wishing to escape her life of constant political maneuvering.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Krishna

Daughter of Tirumala

Sister of Tirumala Deva

Wife of Aliya Rama

Friend of Pampa Kampana

Nagala is the formidable mother of Tirumala. She aids her daughter in court intrigue and helps orchestrate strategies to secure their family's dominance over rival factions in the palace.

Key Relationships

Mother of Tirumala

Mother-in-law of Krishna

Saluva Timmarasu is a great minister in Bisnaga known for his practical wisdom. He attempts to ground the king's arrogant impulses, reminding him of the common people's struggles and making difficult administrative choices to maintain stability.

Key Relationships

Advisor to Krishna

Achyuta is a disorganized and ill-mannered royal figure. He prioritizes lavish, decadent living over effective governance, demonstrating an arrogant inability to comprehend his own limitations or the basic needs of his people.

Key Relationships

Brother of Krishna

Rival of Aliya Rama

Aliya Rama is an older, devious political operator who constantly maneuvers for power. He relies on elaborate plots and policies of division to manipulate his rivals, though his ambition often overreaches its practical bounds.

Key Relationships

Husband of Tirumalamba

Rival of Achyuta

Bhagwat is a royal son who insists on his exclusive right to rule the empire. After a period of exile, he eventually claims the throne as Hukka Raya the Second, aligning himself with conservative religious forces to exert strict control over the populace.

Key Relationships

Son of Bukka Sangama

Brother of Erapalli

Brother of Gundappa

Advised by Vidyasagar