Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie
Born	19 June 1947 (1947-06-19) (age 60) Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Occupation	Novelist, essayist
Nationality	United Kingdom
Genres	Magic Realism
Subjects	Criticism, travel
Influences Günter Grass, Gabriel García Márquez, Italo Calvino, Vladimir Nabokov, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Thomas Pynchon

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (born June 19, 1947) is an Indian-British novelist and essayist. He first achieved fame with his second novel, Midnight's Children (1981), which won the Booker Prize. Much of his early fiction is set at least partly on the Indian subcontinent. His style is often classified as magical realism, while a dominant theme of his work is the story of the many connections, disruptions and migrations between the Eastern and Western world. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... , Bombay redirects here. ... Bombay Presidency was a former province of British India. ... Anthem God Save The King-Emperor The British Indian Empire, 1909 Capital Calcutta (1858 - 1912) New Delhi (1912 - 1947) Language(s) Hindustani, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India  - 1858-1901 Victoria¹  - 1901-1910 Edward VII  - 1910-1936 George V  - 1936 Edward VIII  - 1936-1947 George VI Viceroy... This article is about work. ... For other uses, see Novel (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Essay (disambiguation). ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Magic realism (or magical realism) is an artistic genre in which magical elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting. ... A critic (derived from the ancient Greek word krites meaning a judge) is a person who offers a value judgement or an interpretation. ... Travel writing is a literary genre related to the essay and to the guidebook. ... Günter Wilhelm Grass (born October 16, 1927) is a Nobel Prize-winning German author and playwright. ... Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez, also known as Gabo (born March 6, 1927[1] in Aracataca, Colombia) is a Colombian novelist, journalist, editor, publisher, political activist, and recipient of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. ... Italo Calvino, on the cover of Lezioni americane: Sei proposte per il prossimo millennio Italo Calvino (October 15, 1923 – September 19, 1985) (pronounced ) was an Italian writer and novelist. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков, pronounced ) (April 22 [O.S. April 10] 1899, Saint Petersburg – July 2, 1977, Montreux) was a Russian-American, Academy Award nominated author. ... This article is about the writer and poet. ... Borges redirects here. ... Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Midnights Children is a 1981 novel by Salman Rushdie. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Magic Realism (or Magical Realism) is an illustrative or literary technique in which the laws of cause and effect seem not quite to apply in otherwise real world situations. ... The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures, social structures and philosophical systems of the East, namely Asia (including China, India, Japan, and surrounding regions). ... Occident redirects here. ...

His fourth novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), led to protests from Muslims in several countries, some of which were violent. Faced with death threats and a fatwa (religious edict) issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, which called for him to be killed, he spent nearly a decade largely underground, appearing in public only sporadically. In June 2007, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor for "services to literature"^[1], which "thrilled and humbled" him.^[2] In 2007, he began a five-year term as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emory University.^[3] The Satanic Verses (1988), 2006 Vintage paperback edition For the novel by Salman Rushdie, see The Satanic Verses. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The Satanic Verses (1988), 2006 Vintage paperback edition For the novel by Salman Rushdie, see The Satanic Verses. ... A fatwā (Arabic: ; plural fatāwā Arabic: ), is a considered opinion in Islam made by a mufti, a scholar capable of issuing judgments on Sharia (Islamic law). ... For other uses, see Ayatollah (disambiguation). ... Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini (Persian:  , RÅ«ullāh MÅ«sawÄ« KhumaynÄ«) (September 24, 1902[1][2] – June 3, 1989) was a senior Shia Muslim scholar, marja (religious authority), and the political leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. ... The post of Supreme Leader (Persian: رهبر انقلاب, Rahbare Enqelab,[1] lit. ... June 2007 is the sixth month of that year. ... The dignity of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. ... Emory University is a private university located in the metropolitan area of the city of Atlanta and in western unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. ...

Personal life

The only son of Anis Ahmed Rushdie, a Cambridge University-educated lawyer turned businessman, and Negin Butt, a teacher, Rushdie was born into a Sunni Muslim family in Mumbai (then called Bombay), India^[4][5]. He was educated at Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, Rugby School, and King's College, Cambridge, where he read history. He worked for two advertising agencies (Ogilvy & Mather and Ayer Barker) before becoming a full-time writer.^[6] The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... , Bombay redirects here. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A view of Rugby School from The Close, the playing field where according to legend Rugby was invented Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, is one of the oldest public schools in England and is one of the major co-educational boarding schools in the country. ... For other uses, see Kings College. ... This article is about the study of the past in human terms. ... Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide is an advertising agency that has a worldwide presence. ...

Rushdie has been married four times. His first wife was Clarissa Luard, to whom he was married from 1976 to 1987 and with whom he has a son, Zafar. His second wife was the American novelist Marianne Wiggins; they were married in 1988 and divorced in 1993. His third wife, from 1997 to 2004, was Elizabeth West; they have a son, Milan. In 2004, he got married to the Indian actress and model Padma Lakshmi, the host of the American reality-television show Top Chef and that marriage ended on July 2, 2007 with Rushdie indicating that it was her desire to end the marriage. Photo (c)Lara Porzak Marianne Wiggins (1947-) is the author of nine novels and one collection of short stories. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising. ... Padma Lakshmi, September 2007 Padma Parvati Lakshmi, Lady Rushdie (born September 1, 1970 in Chennai, India)[4] is an Indian-American cookbook author, actress, and model who has described herself as the first well-known model from India. ... Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

In 1999, Rushdie had an operation to correct a tendon condition that was making it increasingly difficult for him to open his eyes. "If I hadn't had an operation, in a couple of years from now I wouldn't have been able to open my eyes at all," he said.^[7] A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone and is built to withstand tension. ...

Career

Major literary work

Salman Rushdie presenting his book Shalimar the Clown

His first novel, Grimus (1975), a part-science fiction tale, was generally ignored by the public and literary critics. His next novel, Midnight's Children (1981), however, catapulted him to literary fame. It also significantly shaped the course that Indian writing in English would follow over the next decade. This work won the 1981 Booker Prize and, in 1993, was awarded the Booker of Bookers as the best novel to have received the prize during its first 25 years.^[8] It still receives accolades for being Rushdie's best, most flowing and inspiring work. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1321x1704, 786 KB) Description: Salman Rushdie presenting his book Shalimar the clown at Mountain View, USA, October 2005 Source: http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1321x1704, 786 KB) Description: Salman Rushdie presenting his book Shalimar the clown at Mountain View, USA, October 2005 Source: http://www. ... Shalimar the Clown cover Shalimar the Clown is a 2005 novel written by Salman Rushdie, an author perhaps most famous for his earlier work, The Satanic Verses. ... Grimus is a 1975 fantasy novel written by Salman Rushdie. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Midnights Children is a 1981 novel by Salman Rushdie. ... Indian English Literature (IEL) refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland. ...

After the success of Midnight's Children, about the birth of the modern nation of India, Rushdie wrote Shame (1983), in which he depicts the political turmoil in Pakistan, basing his characters on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Shame won France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book) and was a close runner-up for the Booker Prize. Both these works of postcolonial literature are characterised by a style of magic realism and the immigrant outlook of which Rushdie is very conscious, as a member of the Indian diaspora. The History of the Republic of India began on August 15, 1947 when India became an independent Dominion within the British Commonwealth. ... Shame was Salman Rushdies third novel, at 300 pages. ... Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Urdu: , IPA: ; Sindhi: ذوالفقار علي ڀُٽو) (January 5, 1928 – April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician who served as the President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977. ... General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq محمد ضياء الحق (b. ... Postcolonial literature (less often spelled Post-colonial literature, sometimes called New English Literature(s)) is literature concerned with the political and cultural independence of people formerly subjugated in colonial empires, and the literary expression of postcolonialism. ... Magic realism (or magical realism) is an artistic genre in which magical elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... A non-resident Indian (NRI) is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country. ...

In his later works, Rushdie turned towards the Western world. In the 1980s, he visited Nicaragua, the scene of Sandinista political experiments, and this experience was the basis for his next book, The Jaguar Smile (1987). In 1988, his most controversial work, The Satanic Verses was published (see section below). He followed this with The Moor's Last Sigh (1995), exploring commercial and cultural links between India and the Iberian peninsula. The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999) presents an alternative history of modern rock music. The song of the same name by U2 is a setting of lyrics in the book, hence Rushdie is credited as the lyricist. Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ... The Jaguar Smile is Salman Rushdies first full-length non-fiction book, which he wrote in 1987 after visiting Nicaragua. ... For the verses known as Satanic Verses, see Satanic Verses. ... The Moors Last Sigh cover The Moors Last Sigh, a short novel by Salman Rushdie, is based in Bombay, India. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. ... The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a novel written by Salman Rushdie. ... Alternative history or alternate history develops out of historiography to identify historical points of view that have been ignored, overlooked, or unseeable. ... This article is about the genre. ... The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a song by U2 from the film, The Million Dollar Hotel. ... This article is about the Irish rock band. ...

Many of Rushdie's post-1989 works have been critically acclaimed and commercially successful. His 2005 novel Shalimar the Clown received, in India, the prestigious Crossword Fiction Award, and was, in Britain, a finalist for the Whitbread Book Awards. It is shortlisted for the 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.^[9] Shalimar the Clown cover Shalimar the Clown is a 2005 novel written by Salman Rushdie, an author perhaps most famous for his earlier work, The Satanic Verses. ... The Whitbread Book Awards are among the United Kingdoms most prestigious literary awards. ... The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is the largest and most international prize of its kind for a single work -published in English. ...

In his 2002 nonfiction collection Step Across This Line, he professes his admiration for the Italian writer Italo Calvino and the American writer Thomas Pynchon, among others. His early influences included James Joyce, Günter Grass, Jorge Luis Borges, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Lewis Carroll. Rushdie was also a personal friend of Angela Carter and praised her highly in the foreword for her collection "Burning your Boats." Non-fiction is a truthful account or representation of a subject which is composed of facts. ... Languages Italian, Sicilian, Neapolitan, Corsican, Sardinian, Emiliano-Romagnolo, Ligurian, Lombard, Piedmontese, Venetian, Ladin, Friulian Religions predominantly Roman Catholic      The Italians are a Southern European ethnic group found primarily in Italy and in a wide-ranging diaspora throughout Western Europe, the Americas and Australia. ... Italo Calvino, on the cover of Lezioni americane: Sei proposte per il prossimo millennio Italo Calvino (October 15, 1923 – September 19, 1985) (pronounced ) was an Italian writer and novelist. ... Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. ... This article is about the writer and poet. ... Günter Wilhelm Grass (born October 16, 1927) is a Nobel Prize-winning German author and playwright. ... Borges redirects here. ... Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков; May 15 [O.S. May 3] 1891, Kiev – March 10, 1940, Moscow) was a Russian novelist and playwright of the first half of the 20th century. ... Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (IPA: ) (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll (), was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ...

Other activities

Rushdie has quietly mentored younger Indian (and ethnic-Indian) writers, influenced an entire generation of Indo-Anglian writers, and is an influential writer in postcolonial literature in general.^[10] He has received many plaudits for his writings, including the European Union's Aristeion Prize for Literature, the Premio Grinzane Cavour (Italy), and the Writer of the Year Award in Germany. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres. Rushdie was the President of PEN American Center from 2004 to 2006. Indian English Literature (IEL) refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. ... Postcolonial literature (less often spelled Post-colonial literature, sometimes called New English Literature(s)) is literature concerned with the political and cultural independence of people formerly subjugated in colonial empires, and the literary expression of postcolonialism. ... The Aristeion Prize is a European prize, awarded for significant contributions to contemporary literature, and exceptional translations of contemporary literature. ... The Royal Society of Literature is the senior literary organisation in Britain. External link The Royal Society of Literature Categories: Literature stubs | Literature of the United Kingdom ... PEN American Center (PEN), founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. ...

He opposes the British government's introduction of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, something he writes about in his contribution to Free Expression Is No Offence, a collection of essays by several writers, published by Penguin in November 2005. Rushdie is a self-described atheist, and a distinguished supporter of the British Humanist Association. The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (citation 2006 c. ... Penguin Group is the second largest trade book publisher in the world. ... Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Al Jazeera bombing memo • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak • Black sites scandal • Conservative leadership race (UK) • Fuel prices • Irans nuclear program • Jilin chemical plant explosions • Kashmir earthquake • Malawi food crisis • Malaysian prisoner abuse scandal • New Delhi bombings investigation • Niger food crisis • North Indian cyclone... Atheist redirects here. ... The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism. ...

Salman Rushdie having a discussion with Emory University students

In 2006, Rushdie joined the Emory University faculty as Distinguished Writer in Residence for one month a year for the next five years.^[11] He is currently working on a book set in the Mughal Empire and Renaissance Italy. Though he enjoys writing, Salman Rushdie says that he would have become an artist if his writing career had not been successful. Even from early childhood, he drew pictures and sculpted long before he took an interest in writing. Emory University is a private university located in the metropolitan area of the city of Atlanta and in western unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. ... Emory University is a private university located in the metropolitan area of the city of Atlanta and in western unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. ... Capital Delhi / Agra Language(s) Persian (initially also Chagatai, Turkish; later also Urdu) Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1526-1530 Babur  - 1530–1539 and after restoration 1555–1556 Humayun  - 1556–1605 Akbar  - 1605–1627 Jahangir  - 1628–1658 Shah Jahan  - 1659–1707 Aurangzeb History  - Established April 21, 1526  - Ended September 21, 1857 Area... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Italian Renaissance was the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century following the Middle Ages. ...

Rushdie also engages in more popular forms of public discourse. For example, he had a cameo appearance in the film Bridget Jones's Diary based on the book of the same name, which is itself full of literary in-jokes. On May 12, 2006, Rushdie was a guest host on The Charlie Rose Show, where he interviewed Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, whose work has also faced violent protests, about her 2005 film, Water. He also performed the (uncredited) role of Helen Hunt's obstetrician-gynecologist in the film version of Then She Found Me. A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. ... Bridget Joness Diary is a 2001 film, based on the successful novel, also called Bridget Joness Diary, by Helen Fielding. ... Bridget Joness Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Charlie Rose is a television interview show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. ... // Indo-Canadians are Canadians whose origin traces back to the nation of India. ... Deepa Mehta ( दीपा मेहता ),(born 1950 in Amritsar Punjab, India) is a controversial Indian-Canadian film director and screenwriter who is based in Toronto and Delhi. ... Water (2005) is an Academy Award-nominated Canadian film directed and written by Deepa Mehta. ... Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning American actress, perhaps most widely known for her role in the television sitcom Mad About You. ... Obstetrics and gynaecology (often abbreviated Ob-Gyn in the US and O&G elsewhere) form a single medical specialty and have a combined postgraduate training program. ... ‘Then She Found Me’ is a novel written by Elinor Lipman. ...

The Satanic Verses, the fatwa and other critiques

Further information: The Satanic Verses controversy

The publication of The Satanic Verses in September 1988 caused immediate controversy in the Islamic world because of what was perceived as an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad. The title refers to a Muslim tradition that is related in the book. According to it, Muhammad (Mahound in the book) added verses (sura) to the Qur'an accepting three goddesses that used to be worshipped in Mecca as divine beings. According to the legend, Muhammad later revoked the verses, saying the devil tempted him to utter these lines to appease the Meccans (hence the "Satanic" verses). However, the narrator reveals to the reader that these disputed verses were actually from the mouth of the Archangel Gibreel. The book was banned in many countries with large Muslim communities. The Satanic Verses (1988), 2006 Vintage paperback edition For the novel by Salman Rushdie, see The Satanic Verses. ... The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdies fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Islamic world is the world-wide community of those who identify with Islam, known as Muslims, and who number approximately one-and-a-half billion people. ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... Hadith ( transliteration: ) are oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Sura (sometimes spelt Surah , plural Suwar ) is an Arabic term literally meaning something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. ... This article is about the archangel Gabriel. ... Many societies have banned certain books. ...

On February 14, 1989, a fatwa requiring Rushdie's execution was proclaimed on Radio Tehran by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at the time, calling the book "blasphemous against Islam" (chapter IV of the book depicts the character of an Imam in exile who returns to incite revolt from the people of his country with no regard for their safety). A bounty was offered for Rushdie's death, and he was thus forced to live under police protection for years afterward. On March 7, 1989, the United Kingdom and Iran broke diplomatic relations over the Rushdie controversy. is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... A fatwā (Arabic: ; plural fatāwā Arabic: ), is a considered opinion in Islam made by a mufti, a scholar capable of issuing judgments on Sharia (Islamic law). ... For other uses, see Ayatollah (disambiguation). ... Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini (Persian:  , RÅ«ullāh MÅ«sawÄ« KhumaynÄ«) (September 24, 1902[1][2] – June 3, 1989) was a senior Shia Muslim scholar, marja (religious authority), and the political leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. ... The post of Supreme Leader (Persian: رهبر انقلاب, Rahbare Enqelab,[1] lit. ... For the black metal band, see Blasphemy (band). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Exile (band) may refer to: Exile - The American country music band Exile - The Japanese pop music band Category: ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about negotiations. ...

The publication of the book and the fatwa sparked violence around the world, with bookstores being firebombed. Muslim communities in several nations in the West held public rallies in which copies of the book were burned. Several people associated with translating or publishing the book were attacked, seriously injured, and even killed.^[12] Many more people died in riots in Third World countries. Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire rather than the blast effects of large bombs. ... Book burning is the practice of ceremoniously destroying by fire one or more copies of a book or other written material. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ...

Reaction by author Roald Dahl

On September 24, 1998, as a precondition to the restoration of diplomatic relations with Britain, the Iranian government, then headed by Mohammad Khatami, gave a public commitment that it would "neither support nor hinder assassination operations on Rushdie."^[13][14] Hardliners in Iran have, however, continued to reaffirm the death sentence.^[15] In early 2005, Khomeini's fatwa was reaffirmed by Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a message to Muslim pilgrims making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.^[16] Additionally, the Revolutionary Guards have declared that the death sentence on him is still valid.^[17] Iran has rejected requests to withdraw the fatwa on the basis that only the person who issued it may withdraw it^[16], and the person who issued it is dead. Roald Dahl (IPA: ) (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a Welsh novelist, short story author and screenwriter of Norwegian parentage, famous as a writer for both children and adults. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Mohammad Khatami (Persian : سید محمد خاتمی Seyyed Moḥammad KhātamÄ«), born on September 29, 1943, in Ardakan city of Yazd province, is an Iranian intellectual, philosopher and political figure. ... Assassin and Assassins redirect here. ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ... Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (Persian: آیت‌الله سید علی خامنه‌ای) (born July 15, 1939) is the Iran. ... A supplicating pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram, the mosque which was built around the Kaaba (the cubical building at center). ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Salman Rushdie has reported that he still receives a "sort of Valentine's card" from Iran each year on February 14 letting him know the country has not forgotten the vow to kill him. He was also quoted as saying, "It's reached the point where it's a piece of rhetoric rather than a real threat."^[18] Despite the threats on Rushdie, he has publicly said that his family has never been threatened and that his mother (who lived in Pakistan during the later years of her life) even received outpourings of support.^[19] Valentine may refer to: A card or gift given on Valentines Day // in the United States: Valentine, Nebraska Valentine Hall, dining hall at Amherst College in Australia: Valentine, New South Wales, a suburb of Lake Macquarie Valentine Island, an island off Western Australia in France Valentine, Haute-Garonne, a...

The Archbishop of Canterbury's famous words

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie, said in the first official statement by the Church of England "Only the utterly insensitive can fail to see that the publication of Salman Rushdie's book has deeply offended muslims both here and throughout the world". He also went on to state, "I understand their feelings and I firmly believe that offence to religious beliefs of Islam or any other faith is quite as wrong an offence as to the religious beliefs of Christians." The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie of Cuddesdon PC MC (October 2, 1921 – July 11, 2000) was the 102nd Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[3] in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communions thirty-eight independent national churches. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ...

Hezbollah's failed assassination attempt

James Phillips of the Heritage Foundation testified before Congress that a 1989 explosion in Britain was a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate Rushdie which failed when a bomb exploded prematurely, killing a terrorist in London.^[20] There is a shrine in Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery for Mustafa Mahmoud Mazeh that says he was "Martyred in London, August 3, 1989. The first martyr to die on a mission to kill Salman Rushdie." Mazeh died priming a book bomb loaded with RDX explosives that took out two floors of a hotel in Paddington, Central London. A previously unknown Lebanese group, the Organisation of the Mujahidin of Islam, said he died preparing an attack "on the apostate Rushdie". Mazeh's mother was invited to relocate to Iran, and the Islamic World Movement of Martyrs' Commemoration built his shrine in the cemetery that holds thousands of Iranian soldiers slain in the Iran-Iraq War.^[13] During the 2006 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared that "If there had been a Muslim to carry out Imam Khomeini's fatwa against the renegade Salman Rushdie, this rabble who insult our Prophet Mohammed in Denmark, Norway and France would not have dared to do so. I am sure there are millions of Muslims who are ready to give their lives to defend our prophet's honour and we have to be ready to do anything for that."^[21] The Heritage Foundation is one of the most prominent conservative think tanks in the United States. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... This article is becoming very long. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Tehran (disambiguation). ... Behesht-e Zahra is the name of the largest cemetery of Iran. ... RDX redirects here. ... For other places with the same name, see Paddington (disambiguation). ... Central London is a much-used but unofficial and vaguely defined term for the most inner part of London, the capital of England. ... Apostasy (Greek απο, apo, away, apart, στασις, stasis, standing) is the formal renunciation of ones religion. ... Combatants  Iran Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Iraq Peoples Mujahedin of Iran Commanders Ruhollah Khomeini Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Ali Shamkhani Mostafa Chamran â€  Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Strength 305,000 soldiers 500,000 Pasdaran and Basij militia 900 tanks 1,000 armored vehicles 3,000 artillery pieces 470 aircraft... The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. ... Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah (Arabic: ) (b. ...

International Guerrillas

In 1990, a Pakistani film was released in which Rushdie was depicted as plotting, soon after his publication of The Satanic Verses, to cause the downfall of Pakistan by opening a chain of casinos and discos in the country. The film was popular with Pakistani audiences, and it "presents Rushdie as a Rambo-like figure pursued by four Pakistani guerrillas"^[22]. The British Board of Film Classification refused to allow it a certificate, as "it was felt that the portrayal of Rushdie might qualify as criminal libel, causing a breach of the peace as opposed to merely tarnishing his reputation."^[23] This move effectively banned the film in Britain outright. However, two months later, Rushdie himself wrote to the board, saying that while he thought the film "a distorted, incompetent piece of trash", he would not sue if it was released.^[23] He later said, "If that film had been banned, it would have become the hottest video in town: everyone would have seen it".^[23] While the film was a massive hit in Pakistan, it went virtually unnoticed in the West.^[23] He has said that there was one legitimately funny part of the movie, his character torturing a Pakistani fighter by reading from his book The Satanic Verses. Lollywood (Urdu: لالیوڈ) refers to the Pakistani film industry, based in the city of Lahore. ... This article is about the Sylvester Stallone character and films. ... Guerilla may refer to Guerrilla warfare. ... British Board of Film Classification logo The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is the organisation responsible for film and some video game classification and censorship within the United Kingdom. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...

Knighthood

Main article: Knighthood of Salman Rushdie

Rushdie was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in the Queen's Birthday Honours on June 16, 2007. He remarked, "I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour, and am very grateful that my work has been recognised in this way."^[24] In response to his knighthood, many nations with Muslim majorities protested. Parliamentarians of several of these countries condemned the action, and Iran and Pakistan called in their British envoys to protest formally. Mass demonstrations against Rushdie's knighthood took place in Pakistan and Malaysia. Several called publicly for his death. In mid-June 2007 Salman Rushdie was given the title of knight by the British Queen Elizabeth II. This action brought much criticism around the world in many countries with Muslim majority populations. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... The honours system of the United Kingdom is a means of rewarding personal bravery, achievement or service to the country. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The House of Representatives Chamber of the Parliament of Australia in Canberra. ...

According to a July 2007 report by the BBC, Al-Qaeda have also condemned the Rushdie honour. The Al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri is quoted as saying in an audio recording that Britain's award for Indian-born Rushdie was "an insult to Islam", and it was planning "a very precise response."^[25] July 2007 is the seventh month of that year. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri (Arabic: ) or closer to the original Arabic pronunciation al-Zawahri (born June 19, 1951) is an extremist Muslim leader and prominent member of al-Qaeda, and was the second and last emir of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded Abbud al-Zummar in the latter role...

Religious and political beliefs

Rushdie was raised a Muslim but is considered an apostate in Muslim countries, especially Pakistan. In 1990 he issued a statement in which he claimed he had renewed his Muslim faith, had repudiated the attacks on Islam in his novel and was committed to working for better understanding of the religion across the world. Later he claimed that he pretended to “embrace Islam” in the hope that it would reduce the threat of Muslims acting on the fatwa to kill him. ^[26] Apostasy (Greek απο, apo, away, apart, στασις, stasis, standing) is the formal renunciation of ones religion. ...

His books often focus on the role of religion in society and conflicts between faiths and between the religious and those of no faith.

Rushdie advocates the application of higher criticism, pioneered during the late 19th century. Rushdie calls for a reform in Islam^[27] in a guest opinion piece printed in The Washington Post and The Times in mid-August 2005. Excerpts from his speech: Higher criticism, also known as historical criticism, is a branch of literary analysis that attempts to investigate the origins of a text, especially the text of the Bible. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in August August 31: Michael Sheard August 26: Lord Fitt August 24: Jack Slipper August 24: Maurice Cowling August 24: Dr. Tom Pashby August 23: Brock Peters August 22: Lord Lane August 21: Robert Moog August...

Rushdie supported the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to stop the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, leading the leftist Tariq Ali to label Rushdie and other "warrior writers" as "the belligerati'".^[28] He was supportive the US-led campaign to remove the Taliban in Afghanistan which began in 2001, but was a vocal critic of the 2003 war in Iraq. He has stated that while there was a moral imperative to free Iraq from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, US unilateral military intervention was unjustifiable. ^[29] For other uses, see Jihad (disambiguation). ... A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ... Combatants NATO (USAF, RAF, and other air, maritime and land forces) Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and allied Serb paramilitary and foreign volunteer forces[1] Commanders Wesley Clark (SACEUR), Javier Solana (Secretary General of NATO) Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević (Supreme Commander of the Yugoslav Army), Vojislav Å eÅ¡elj, Dragoljub Ojdanić (Chief of... For the video game, see Ethnic Cleansing (computer game). ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Tariq Ali Tariq Ali (Urdu: طارق علی) (born October 21, 1943) is a British-Pakistani writer and filmmaker [1]. He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, Counterpunch, and the London Review of Books, He is the author of Pirates Of... The Taliban (Pashto: , also anglicized as Taleban) are a Sunni Muslim and ethnic Pashtun movement [2] that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by a cooperative military effort between the Northern Alliance, United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. ... There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. ... Unilateralism is an antonym for multilateralism. ...

In the wake of the 'Danish Cartoons Affair' in March 2006 - which many considered to be an echo of the death threats and fatwa which had followed the publication of Rushdie's Satanic Verses in 1989 ^[30] - Rushdie signed the manifesto 'Together Facing the New Totalitarianism' Manifesto, a statement warning of the dangers of religious extremism. The Manifesto was published in the left-leaning French weekly Charlie Hebdo in March 2006. The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. ... March 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase announces that the 2006 Fiji general elections will be held in the second week of May 2006 from the 6th to the 13th. ... Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common standards of ethics and reciprocity. ... Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical political weekly newspaper. ...

In 2006, Rushdie stated that he supported comments by the Leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw, criticising the wearing of the niqab (a veil that covers all of the face except the eyes). Rushdie stated that his three sisters would never wear the veil. He said, "I think the battle against the veil has been a long and continuing battle against the limitation of women, so in that sense I'm completely on [Straw's] side."^[31] The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... The Daily Express launched what it called a Crusade against the veil. The United Kingdom debate over veils began in October 2006 when the MP and government minister Jack Straw wrote in a local newspaper that, while he did not want to be prescriptive, he preferred talking to women who...

Rushdie continues to come under fire from much of the British academic establishment for his political views. Apparently unaware of Rushdie's stance on Iraq and his criticisms of the Bush administration, the Marxist critic Terry Eagleton, a former admirer of Rushdie's work, attacked him for his position on Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, saying he "cheered on the Pentagon's criminal ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan". ^[32] Eagleton later apologized for his error. ^[33] George W. Bush administration is the administration of the 43rd president of the United States of America, 2001-present George H. W. Bush administration is the administration of the 41st president of the United States of America, 1989-1993 This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise... Marxism is both the theory and the political practice (that is, the praxis) derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ... Terry Eagleton (born in Salford, Lancashire (now Greater Manchester), England, on February 22, 1943) is a British literary critic and philosopher. ... This article is about the United States military building. ...

Bibliography

• Grimus (1975)
• Midnight's Children (1981)
• Shame (1983)
• The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey (1987)
• The Satanic Verses (1988)
• Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990)
• Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism, 1981 - 1991 (1992)
• Homeless by Choice (1992, with R. Jhabvala and V. S. Naipaul)
• East, West (1994)
• The Moor's Last Sigh (1995)
• The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999)
• Fury (2001)
• Step Across This Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992 - 2002 (2002)
• Shalimar the Clown (2005)
• The Enchantress of Florence (2008)
• Best American Short Stories 2008 (2008, as editor)

Grimus is a 1975 fantasy novel written by Salman Rushdie. ... Midnights Children is a 1981 novel by Salman Rushdie. ... Shame was Salman Rushdies third novel, at 300 pages. ... The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdies fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. ... Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a 1990 childrens book[1] by Salman Rushdie. ... Collection of essays written by Salman Rushdie covering wide variety of topics. ... Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, KB, TC (b. ... East, West (ISBN 0394281500) is a anthology of short stories written by Salman Rushdie in 1994. ... The Moors Last Sigh cover The Moors Last Sigh, a short novel by Salman Rushdie, is based in Bombay, India. ... The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a novel written by Salman Rushdie. ... Fury is a novel written by Salman Rushdie. ... Shalimar the Clown cover Shalimar the Clown is a 2005 novel written by Salman Rushdie, an author perhaps most famous for his earlier work, The Satanic Verses. ...

Awards

• Aristeion Prize (European Union)
• Arts Council Writers' Award
• Author of the Year (British Book Awards)
• Author of the Year (Germany)
• Booker of Bookers or the best novel among the Booker Prize winners for Fiction
• Booker Prize for Fiction
• English-Speaking Union Award
• Hutch Crossword Fiction Prize (India)
• India Abroad Lifetime Achievement Award (USA)
• James Tait Black Memorial Prize (Fiction)
• Kurt Tucholsky Prize (Sweden)
• Mantua Prize (Italy)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorary Professorship
• Chapman University Honorary Doctorate - Doctor of Humane Letters
• Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Cultural Humanism (Harvard University)
• Premio Grinzane Cavour (Italy)
• Prix Colette (Switzerland)
• Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger
• State Prize for Literature (Austria)
• Whitbread Novel Award (twice)
• Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Children's Fiction

The Aristeion Prize is a European prize, awarded for significant contributions to contemporary literature, and exceptional translations of contemporary literature. ... The Arts Council of Great Britain was a Quango dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Britain. ... The British Book Awards are given annually and promoted by the UK publishing industry trade journal Publishing News. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is one of the worlds most prestigious literary prizes, awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations or the... The Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded each year for the best novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. ... The English-Speaking Union is an international educational charity founded in 1918 to promote international understanding and friendship through the use of the English language. ... Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English Language. ... “MIT” redirects here. ... Chapman University is a private, nonprofit university located in the city of Orange in Orange County, California, USA. // The mission of Chapman University is to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical and productive lives as global citizens. ... Country Italy Region Piedmont Province Province of Cuneo (CN) Mayor Elevation m Area 3. ... The Whitbread Book Awards are among the United Kingdoms most prestigious literary awards. ... The Writers Guild of Great Britain, established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers, affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC). ...

See also

• Can You Stomach the Best of Rushdie? by Shaikh Ahmed Deedat
• A critique of The Satanic Verses, by Ata'ollah Mohajerani, former Iranian Minister of Culture
• Norwegian author Axel Jensen and his collection of essays, God Does Not Read Novels: A Voyage in the World of Salman Rushdie (1994), in defence of free speech
• Censorship in South Asia
• International PEN
• MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism—an