Who is Salman Rushdie?

Salman Rushdie, the Booker Prize-winning novelist, was attacked during an event in New York. The man behind the attack was restrained by the authorities present. This is not the first time the 75-year-old author has found himself in danger. In the 1980s, post the publication of his book, The Satanic Verses, former Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had issued a ‘fatwa’ (edict) against Rushdie, calling for his death.

Born on June 19, 1947 in Mumbai (then Bombay), Rushdie began his schooling at Cathedral and John Connon School before moving to England to study at the Rugby School. He earned his undergraduate degree in history from King’s College, Cambridge. Rushdie began his professional career as a copywriter for Ogilvy & Mather, where he came up with a number of iconic catchphrases for various brands. The author published his first book, Grimus, in 1975, but it did not achieve much success.

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It was Midnight’s Children, his second book, that brought Rushdie wide critical acclaim and a fan following. The novel ended up winning the Booker Prize. Rushdie found success with Shame, his next publication, as well, as it finished as a runner-up for the Booker Prize and won France’s Best Foreign Book award.

Rushdie’s works largely deal with historical fiction with a sprinkling of magic realism. The subject matters often involve issues of migration and the disruptions it can create in the psyche of a character, along with post-colonial concerns.

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The aforementioned 1988 publication, The Satanic Verses, is what brought Rushdie infamy in the Islamic world. Many people associated with the book were seriously harmed in the aftermath. While the Japanese translator was found stabbed to death, the Italian translator was also seriously injured. The Madimak Hotel was torched in order to kill the book’s Turkish translator, leading to the death of 37 individuals. The book is still banned in many countries, including India.