With all the hubbub, fatwas, and attractive chefs surrounding him, it's easy to forget that Salman Rushdie is a wonderful writer. Before he wrote a little book called The Satanic Verses in 1988, he had already won the Booker Prize (for one of my favorites, Midnight's Children... though I can't recommend his children's book Haroun and the Sea of Stories highly enough). Well, more hubbub, I'm afraid. Saturday's announcement that the Indian-born (but still British) writer is to be knighted in the UK has enraged Iran and Pakistan all over again. To some, it's an honor richly deserved; but the long held belief that The Satanic Verses contains blasphemous references to Islam, makes the politics of the knighthood pretty tricky. However, Rushdie may not care; my favorite quote of his (about poets, but you can read artists in general) is this: "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep." Here's hoping we (with your help) can do all of that here at NPR as well: start arguments... shape the world.
Blog of the Nation
Well, I understand that certain 'undemocratic' regimes around the world appoint media minders escort reporters to watch what is being asked or said. In our great American style democracy, NPR along with other 'main stream' American media outlets hire certain people who make sure your questions or comments, no matter how related or important they are, are being screened and filtered. They block you from asking your question or make your comment on the air. They delay you until the show is over and issue a 'polite apology', determine in a hurry that your question in not related to the subject, or worse yet, hang up the phone on you if your question exposes more then what they want the public to be know!
It's not a coincidence when this happens to the same person or people who happened to listen to this type of talk shows!
My question which was blocked, as usual, by keeping me on the line until the end of the show was:' If judged on their true merit, Rushdie's writings may be near the bottom of the English literature list. I???m sure many more English writers deserve to be knighted well ahead of Rushdie. However, I feel that this is part of the well coordinate effort to attack Islam and Muslims at the heart of their faith. I???m wondering if the queen would???ve honored a writer who attacked Jesus, Jews or Israel in the same way Rushdie did with the prophet Mohammed?
Michael
Michael:
Here's the explainer on how to get on the show as a caller...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5363084
Agree. "The New Empire within Britain" 1982 is Salman Rushdie's best kept, secret. It shows plainly how strongly opposed he is to the principle of free speech he when it offends him, personally.
http://www.english.ccsu.edu/hegglund/206/rushdie_empire.htm
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