Midnight’s Children

魯西迪雖然是因為《魔鬼詩篇》觸怒回教世界被下了追殺令而成為世界焦點，但他文學上的成就，卻是這本贏得英國最權威文學獎布克獎的《午夜之子》。

一個孟買小孩誕生於印度脫離英國獨立的神聖時刻(1947年8月15日午夜零點)，他受到尼赫魯總理的祝福；後來才知道他只是一千個午夜之子的其中一個。本書即是這個小孩幽默而嘲諷的自傳，同時也是一部文學的印度現代史。作者以他豐富甚至狂野的想像力，呈現了印度醜惡與光榮兼具的紛繁面向：這塊神秘次大陸及其人民的生活、命運、夢想和無奈。

本書在布克獎二十五週年時更被選為Best book in 25 years，二十五年來所有獲獎作品中最好的一本，可說是獎中之獎。

Saleem Sinai was born at midnight, the midnight of India's independence, and found himself mysteriously 'handcuffed to history' by the coincidence. He is one of 1,001 children born at the midnight hour, each of them endowed with an extraordinary talent - and whose privilege and curse it is to be both master and victims of their times. Through Saleem's gifts - inner ear and wildly sensitive sense of smell - we are drawn into a fascinating family saga set against the vast, colourful background of the India of the 20th century.