Latest news with #Rushdie
Scroll.in
13-07-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
Writer Tabish Khair on how a good book can be an instrument to engage with the ‘outside world'
'I used books the way some people use alcohol, to obliterate the noise of the outside world.' I came across this quotation, attributed to an author I am not familiar with, on Facebook, and it was accompanied by comments highlighting the seclusion and isolation that books purportedly provide to various readers. As a writer of a certain kind, I feel that such quotations are only partly accurate – or only partly understood. Yes, it is true that this is what a lot of people feel when they read: they retreat into a safe space, far from the madding crowd. They create a vacuum around themselves, a kind of cocoon. But they partly misunderstand their own activity of reading, because a book is always the outside world. In that sense, there is no 'vacuum' in a good book, no space devoid of the other, no safe island. Even the worst book is by someone else about the world out there – and/or 'in there', inside this stranger-writer's head. Good books are very complex invitations to enter – and get totally absorbed in this world that also exists outside you. Hence, one claims to get absorbed by a book. This feeling of absorption is what sometimes misleads us into thinking that a good book shuts out the 'outside world', and to compare reading to something like getting intoxicated on alcohol. But if alcohol simply deadens your awareness, numbs your pain, makes you forget your troubles, acts like Karl Marx's understanding of religion as the opium of the people, then it is not a good simile to apply to books. You do not look into the brimming glass of a good book and see only yourself looking back, like dejected drinkers have stereotypically been depicted as doing in Bollywood films. What a book does is insert you into another world, and your addiction – or intoxication – is not an inebriation with your own self, but an engagement with another self. That is, firstly, the self of the writer, and secondly those many selves contained in the 'outside world' narrated by the writer, whether it is given to you as fact or fiction, whether it comes to you as a collection of poems or a series of scientific discoveries. This is one of the reasons why I found Salman Rushdie's Knife disappointing. Bear in mind that I had responded strongly against the stupid and murderous attack on him, and I had even suggested that he should be given the Nobel, just to put across the message that such attacks are to be condemned and resisted by the rest of us. Hence, I came to Knife with much anticipation: Rushdie is an accomplished writer and he has, given his tragic experiences, a lot to say about many things that afflict the world today. There was also much of interest in Knife, but slowly Rushdie's greatest failure, exacerbated during and after his exile, started grating on my nerves: his loud confidence that often has an upper-class origin rather than just an intellectual one. Then he went on, and after defining his confused and deplorable assailant as an 'ass' – a word that obviously belongs to arm-chair public school club circles – the book moved into a dialogue between the assailant and Rushdie. Except that the assailant never spoke: he was imagined as speaking by Rushdie. This, of course, can be one of the strengths of fiction, as I argue in my last book, Literature Against Fundamentalism. It can get to enunciate perspectives, fill in silences, explore contradictions that stolidly 'factual prose' cannot. But in this case, actually, it did not do so: I could imagine a far richer and provocative conversation between a real person and someone like Rushdie. What happened was, at best, a simple version of the Socratic dialogues: the questions were angled in such a way as to inveigle certain answers, so that what one heard was the voice of the self, and the other was again silenced. This is exactly what I feel that literature at its best does not do, and Rushdie, being capable of great literature in the past, surely knows that too. The other speaks in every good book, even in a good genre novel. We cannot and do not exist in isolation. The richness of our 'inside world' is intertwined with the richness of our 'outside worlds.' A book expands the possibility of this richness a million times. As a reader, you visit more places, experience more lives, and encounter more ideas than you ever would as an individual in life. And even more than that, a book provides you with the necessary space in which you can actually 'hear' the outside world. That point about 'noise' in my initial quotation was partly correct. The outside world, as we encounter it in living our harried lives, is full of distracting noise: these often retard any real engagement, and sometimes actively thwart it. A book enables you to leave behind this noise of the outside world, so that, actually, you can engage with the outside world in a fuller manner. It means going out into the world; it also means coming home to yourself. What a book enables is a deeper and better relationship between the reader's 'inside world' and the 'outside world', by shutting out all kinds of noise. A book is not a vacuum, and if it is a cocoon, it is one only to the extent that, if it is really good, you are going to hatch into another reality, become another being. A good book is more like a telescope, a microscope, a stethoscope, a hearing aid, and a dozen such instruments to engage with the otherness of the 'outside world' – all rolled into one, and with something else added to their sum effect!
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
20 years on, Salman Rushdie's ‘Shalimar the Clown' reimagined for the French with Delhi artist's vision
Twenty years after India-born British-American writer Salman Rushdie's Shalimar the Clown was first published in 2005, its French folio Shalimar le clown that released last month has on its cover an artwork by Delhi-based artist Mukesh Sharma. 'Salman Rushie and publisher Antoine Gallimard approached me after seeing this work on my Instagram. I was told that Salman Rushdie had really liked it and asked the publishing house (Gallimard) to get in touch with me for it to be used on the cover of the book. A lot of correspondence followed and Salman Rushdie also asked for more of my works to see, but they finally decided on this work as it was suitable for this particular book.' Speaking about the 2018 acrylic on canvas titled Revitalising Memory, Sharma elaborates: 'Like a lot of my other recent works, here too I use elements from the keyboard to ponder our relationship with technology. The representation that looks at myth, memory, identity also also borrows from Indian miniatures and traditional stories from the Panchatantra to comment how in several scenarios it difficult to distinguish between who is the puppet and who is controlling the strings, who is riding and controlling whom.' Rushdie's eighth novel, which took nearly four years to complete, the layered narrative details the murder of Max Ophuls, former US ambassador to India, by his Kashmiri-Muslim driver who calls himself Shalimar the Clown. The story spans across continents, including Kashmir, France and the United States, and reflects how personal histories are influenced by larger political decisions. Rushdie has shared a close relationship with the Indian art world, with his friends including the likes of Nalini Malani and the late Vivan Sundaram. He also shared a long friendship with the late artist Bhupen Khakhar. While Rushdie immortalised him in his book The Moor's Last Sigh through a character inspired by him – that of an account with the soul of an artist – Khakhar painted a portrait of Rushdie titled The Moor, incorporating elements from his book. Khakhar also made a set of five woodcuts and three linocuts for a limited edition based on two stories by Rushdie.
NDTV
30-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Make Them Regret": Iran's Top Cleric Issues Fatwa Against Trump, Netanyahu
Tehran: Iran's top Shiite cleric has issued a 'fatwa' or religious decree against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling them "enemies of God". The decree from Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi called on Muslims across the world to unite and bring down the American and Israeli leaders for threatening the Islamic republic leadership. "Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered a 'warlord' or a 'mohareb'," Makarem said in the ruling, according to Mehr News Agency. A mohareb is someone who wages war against God, and under Iranian law, those identified as mohareb can face execution, crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile, according to a report by Fox News. The fatwa added that "any cooperation or support for that enemy by Muslims or Islamic states is haram or forbidden. It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes." It also said that if a "Muslim who abides by his Muslim duty suffer hardship or loss in their campaign, they will be rewarded as a fighter in the way of God, God willing." The religious decree followed a 12-day war that erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a bombing campaign in Iran that killed top military commanders and scientists linked to its nuclear programme. Tehran responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. Israel said it aimed to keep the Islamic republic from developing an atomic weapon -- an ambition Tehran has consistently denied. The fighting culminated after the US joined Israeli forces to attack three of Iran's nuclear facilities, following which Iran bombarded an American military base in Qatar. What's A Fatwa? A fatwa is an interpretation of Islamic law issued by a Marja--a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric. It calls on all Muslims, including the Islamic governments and individuals, to ensure its enforcement. It is not the first time Iranian clerics have used fatwas to call for violence against an individual. The most infamous case of a fatwa was one issued in 1989 against author Salman Rushdie after the release of his novel "The Satanic Verses," which many Muslims considered offensive. That decree called for Rushdie's killing, forcing him into hiding. It led to the murder of a Japanese translator and multiple attacks on the book's publishers. Since then, Rushdie has been subjected to multiple assassination attempts, including a 2023 stabbing attack in upstate New York in which he lost an eye.
Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Salman Rushdie just turned 78. What has the ‘Midnight's Children' author been writing lately?
(Written by Taniya Chopra) 'What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.' The words sum up Salman Rushdie. We all know him for Midnight's Children, the book that made him famous, and The Satanic Verses, the novel which caused global outrage and forced him into hiding for years. Rushdie chose to continue writing no matter what. Even after making it through a brutal knife attack in 2022 that made him blind in one eye, he did not step back. Many authors in his place would have completely stopped after such a traumatic event. But his passion did not wither. Here's a look at five of Rushdie's most recent works. 'We would not be who we are today without the calamities of our yesterdays.' Salman Rushdie's most recent work is his memoir, Knife, written after the 2022 knife attack that nearly ended his life. He shows us his trauma and his will to still write. It's honest and it's witty. Unlike his earlier memoir Joseph Anton, this one is written in the first person, making it feel much more personal. Knife is a record of survival and a bold statement on the freedom to speak and write. It gives us rare insight into Rushdie's mind, and shows his unwavering dedication to the written word, even when writing itself becomes an act of defiance. In 14th century South India, nine-year-old Pampa Kampana witnesses her mother walk into 'the bonfire of the dead'. She is blessed with magical powers and a mission to build a world where no woman suffers as her mother did. She builds Bisnaga, a kingdom meant to uplift women in a patriarchal world. Victory City is an imaginative tale about power and the stories that shape civilisations. With beauty and emotion, Rushdie revives a forgotten empire and the extraordinary woman who dreamed it into existence. It's vintage Rushdie, yet strikingly fresh in its voice. This is a collection of essays and speeches written by Salman Rushdie. From Cervantes to Kafka, he explores the writers who shaped his thinking, while tackling themes like censorship, migration, politics and the power of imagination. We get to see what Rushdie thinks of other writers' writing, how their ideas and style show the times they lived in. It shows his thoughts on storytelling and rapidly changing world. With clarity and wit, Languages of Truth is a celebration of literature and a bold reflection on the cultural shifts of our time. Quichotte is a television obsessed, slightly delusional travelling salesman who falls hopelessly in love with a TV star he has never met. Determined to win her heart, he goes on a journey across America with his imaginary son. He faces everything from the opioid crisis to cultural absurdities. But Quichotte isn't acting alone here. He is actually the creation of Sam DuChamp, a struggling writer in the middle of a personal breakdown. The lines between Sam DuChamp, the author and his character blur, as both try to complete their parallel quests. It is a surreal, moving reflection on identity. Inspired by Cervantes' Don Quixote, Rushdie writes a satire of modern America, one that is between reality and illusion. If you enjoy thought provoking books that are entertaining as well, then Quichotte is a must-read. Nero Golden, a billionaire from Bombay, arrives in New York. And what is a billionaire without secrets? With him come his three sons, still trying to understand who he really is. They settle into The Gardens, an elite, enclosed community in Greenwich Village, and instantly disrupt the lives of those around them. Their story is told by René, a filmmaker who becomes fascinated by the Goldens and finds in them the perfect material for his next project. From Nero's romance with a mysterious Russian to the reveal of long-buried secrets, the Goldens' world begins to crack. And, so does the nation around them. This book shows a family and a nation on the verge of transformation. If you're into family dramas and then this is a must-read. (The writer is an intern with
News18
04-06-2025
- General
- News18
Salman Rushdie 'Pleased' That Man Who Attempted To Kill Him Got Maximum 25-Year Sentence
Last Updated: The assailant, Hadi Matar, was sentenced in a New York court for the attempted murder of Rushdie. The attack left the British-Indian author blind in one eye Booker Prize-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie has said he is 'pleased" that the man who brutally attacked him on stage in 2022 has been handed the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The assailant, Hadi Matar, was sentenced in a New York court for the attempted murder of Rushdie. The attack left the British-Indian author blind in one eye. Rushdie later documented the event in his 2024 memoir, Knife. Judge David Foley delivered the verdict in Mayville, near where the stabbing occurred. Following the ruling, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt expressed satisfaction. However, Matar's lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, confirmed that an appeal will be made. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Monday, Rushdie said, 'I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds." In 1989, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death over alleged blasphemy in his novel The Satanic Verses. Following this, Rushdie went into hiding under British protection and later settled in New York, in the United States. The book was banned in 20 countries. Numerous killings and bombings have been carried out by extremists who cite the book as motivation, sparking a debate about censorship and religiously motivated violence. On August 12, 2022, while about to start a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, Rushdie was attacked by Matar, who rushed onto the stage and stabbed him repeatedly, including in the face, neck, and abdomen. Matar was pulled away before being taken into custody by a state trooper; Rushdie was airlifted to UPMC Hamot, a tertiary trauma centre in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he underwent surgery before being put on a ventilator. On October 23, 2022, his agent reported that Rushdie had lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand but survived the murder attempt. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
