Ahmed Salman Rushdie is a British-Indian essayist and novelist born 19th of June 1974 in Bombay, India. He is a copywriter turned novelist. He is specialized in the historian fiction and magic realism as his writing technique/style. His genres focused on religion, history, oral tradition, fantasy and mythology. Moreover, these stories touched on migration and connection between western and eastern civilization. Although he grew up as Muslim, later in life he turned into an atheist. He is divorced, but he was married to Clarissa Luard, Robyn Davidson, Marrianne Wiggins, Elizabeth West and Padma Lakshmi(British Council Literature, 2011).
Salman Rushdie worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Humanities department. He has been awarded several honorary doctorates by different universities base on his various books. He has been knighted for his contribution in the literature by Queen Elizabeth during the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2007. However, many Muslims including the Pakistan and Iran governments criticized this knighthood claiming he does not deserve it. In addition, he has been awarded several by various scholars’ bodies on his literature work such as European Union's Aristeion Prize. He has sat on several boards or a member of various organizations. Such as American PEN, PEN world voices festival, American Academy of Art and Letters, Ralston College, The lunch box Fund and Secular Coalition for America. He has also mentor many young novelists in the course of his life (British Council Literature, 2011).
Main stories
Midnight's Children (1981)
Salman Rushdie breakthrough in the literate work came through this book and won the Booker prize in 1981. The book also won the Arts Council Writers' Award, James Tait Black Memorial Prize on fiction and English-Speaking Union Award. In 1993, it won the prize/award of bookers of bookers as the best fiction story in the last 25 years (British Council Literature, 2011).
Midnight's Children is a story of a child (Saleem Sinai) who was born at midnight when India was getting its independence from Britain (Rushdie, 1981). The child is endowed with special powers such that with his big nose he can read people’s mind and heart. The child is welcomed to the world by fireworks and cheering as the Indians celebrates their independence. The story connects the growth and development of India with the growth of Saleem Sinai from childhood to a grown man. His wellbeing including his wealth and health is connected with the nation (Rushdie, 1981). Additionally, the story brings a connection between old and modern noisy and a new nation of India. Many people believed that this story was about him since the stories depict most of his life experiences. However, Rushdie refute this claim and comment that it just a story like any other (British Council Literature, 2011).
The satanic verses, 1988
This is a controversial book which has put Salman Rushdie life in danger. The book portrays prophet Muhammad in a bad way especially where it state that Muhammad added verses verse to the Quran by being influenced by three goddesses who used to worship n the holy place, Mecca. But he later removed the verses when he learned he was tempted by the devil to include the verses (satanic verses). However, the story set in the contemporary world where two Indian actors (Saladin and Gibreel) who fall on earth after their plan was bombed by the terrorist (Rushdie, 1989). The story depicts their transformation from normal human being to angelic and evil beings. Through the adventures, they meet with the prophet of Jahilia, Mohound. This is claimed to be the revelation in the Quran (Rushdie, 1989).The book won award in 1988 at the Whitbread Novel Award (British Council Literature, 2011).
The book was not received well by the Muslim communities around the globe. Thus, it was banned in several countries and a call to assassinate (fatwa) him was made by various Muslim leaders. This forced the British government to provide him protection for a number of years. Furthermore, the book sparked violence and riots in many parts of the world. Many book stores which were selling the book were firebombed, and many copies of the book were burned. The riots resulted in death of many people in different countries. Additionally, several publishers and translators of the book were attacked some sustained serious injuries while others were bitten to death. In the response to these, Salman Rushdie issued a statement calling Prophet Muhammad a genius in history, but since he was a human he was bound to make mistakes like a normal human being. Furthermore, He emphasized on the fact that the book was not an antireligious but about migration and its transformation. On 3rd of August in 1989, there was a plot to assassinate him by Mustafa Mahmoud Mazeh in London. But the bomb exploded prematurely killing Mustafa Mahmoud Mazeh on the spot (British Council Literature, 2011).
Shame, 1983
This is another controversial novel which portrays the political disorder in Pakistan (though not directly) and focuses on a wealthy family whose children became significant political figure in the country. The story also brings out the difficulty muslim women go through in their life. The style used in the novel is magic realism and fiction. The theme of the book is postcolonial literature. The story is told from the main characters of general Muhammad Zia-ul-haq and the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Rushdie, 2010). The novel was awarded as the best foreign book in the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger. The book was also named as best runners-up in the Booker awards. The novel tries to bring to the limelight the injustice the Pakistan citizens go through via various characters in the novel (British Council Literature, 2011).
Works Cited
British Council Literature. "Salman Rushdie." British Council Literature. N.p., 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://literature.britishcouncil.org/salman-rushdie>.
Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children: [a Novel]. New York: Knopf, 1981. Print.
Rushdie, Salman. Shame. Random House LLC, 2010.
Rushdie, Salman. The Satanic Verses. New York: Viking, 1989. Print.
