Saleem Sinai of the novel and the significance of its main character, calling "Midnight's Children" "an extraordinary literary jewel (it was awarded the Booker of Bookers in 1993, and a host of other prizes), focusing on the fates of two children that are inextricably linked by the hour of their birth, literally 'handcuffed to history'". Sinai is the product of extra-marital intercourse and is raised by a Muslim family after being exchanged at birth by his nurse, Mary Pereira. Over the course of the novel he goes from riches to rags. He has telepathic and other supernatural powers that are part of
Salman Rushdie below). In addition to books, Rushdie has published many short stories, including those collected in "East, West" (1994). "The Moor's Last Sigh", a family epic ranging over some 100 years of India's history was published in 1995. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" (1999) presents an alternative history of modern rock music. The song of the same name by U2 is one of many song lyrics included in the book; hence Rushdie is credited as the lyricist. He also wrote "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" in 1990. Rushdie has had a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed novels. His