I fell victim to the temptation of every autobiographer, to the illusion that since the past exists only in one's memories and the words which strive vainly to encapsulate them, it is possible to create past events simply by saying they occurred.
In "Midnight's Children," Salman Rushdie explores the challenges of autobiographical writing, reflecting on how memory can be deceptive. He acknowledges a common temptation among autobiographers: the belief that one can reconstruct the past merely through the act of narration. In doing so, he suggests that the essence of past experiences is often altered in the retelling.
Rushdie recognizes the struggle between memory and reality, indicating that the past is not an absolute entity but rather subjective and malleable. This insight emphasizes the power of storytelling, where events may be shaped and reformed in the mind of the narrator, raising questions about the authenticity of personal histories.
