Wednesday 19 September 2012

Yeah, but has anybody ever read one of his books?



11 comments:

Ian Hills said...

No - people only want to kill him because of the reviews.

Lysistrata said...

Yes. He writes well. Better than Ian Banks, and better even than Hilary Mantel. In my opinion, of course.

Mark Wadsworth said...

IH, naughty!

L, I've never heard of either of those two, to be honest, so I'll take your word for it.

H said...

I read Midnight's Children. Definitely well written and gives an interesting perspective on post-independence India and Pakistan. That said, it's no crowd pleaser!

benj said...

I wonder if I wrote something offensive against Muslims I'd get round the clock police protection? It is kind of cool, you have to admit. Only Royalty and top politicians get it for free.

Any ideas?

Mark Wadsworth said...

H, good.

BS, yes, I have plenty of ideas.

Bayard said...

"I wonder if I wrote something offensive against Muslims I'd get round the clock police protection?"

Except he didn't. I heard him on the radio saying that all the police did was advise him to disappear. It's another Great Media Myth, I'm afraid.

Kj said...

Except he didn't. I heard him on the radio saying that all the police did was advise him to disappear. It's another Great Media Myth, I'm afraid.

Back in the day, his publisher did get police protection though. And got shot three times.

Kj said...

Nygaard, head of publishing house Aschehoug, was shot three times in the driveway of his Oslo home in October 1993. He survived but his gunman was never found. Renewed criticism of the police investigation emerged again this week,wih Rushdie himself suggesting to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that the decision to drop the investigation may have been politically motivated.

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2012/09/19/new-questions-raised-shooting-of-oslo-publisher/

Mark Wadsworth said...

Kj, maybe the gunman was that right wing nutter doing a trial run?

Kj said...

MW: Interesting theory. A provocateur maybe?
Considering age, it would be unlikely it was *the* right wing nutter.