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An allegorical critique of British nativism that almost got Rushdie killed - Ayatollahs have no sense of humor.
Random House, 1988, 576 pages
( In which the reviewer recalls learning that Muslims take themselves very, very seriously. )
Verdict: Salman Rushdie is a talented writer, but the Ayatollah made this book a bestseller. By itself, The Satanic Verses is a multilayered if confusing modern, mystic fable about love, lust, identity, alienation, post-colonialism, faith, jealousy, and redemption. Add in a loose religious allegory and you get death threats and one of the most famous books of the 20th century.
Also by Salman Rushdie: My review of Midnight's Children.
My complete list of book reviews.
Random House, 1988, 576 pages
One of the most controversial and acclaimed novels ever written, The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's best-known and most galvanizing book. Set in a modern world filled with both mayhem and miracles, the story begins with a bang: the terrorist bombing of a London-bound jet in midflight. Two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of what is angelic and evil. This is just the initial act in a magnificent odyssey that seamlessly merges the actual with the imagined. A book whose importance is eclipsed only by its quality, The Satanic Verses is a key work of our times
( In which the reviewer recalls learning that Muslims take themselves very, very seriously. )
Verdict: Salman Rushdie is a talented writer, but the Ayatollah made this book a bestseller. By itself, The Satanic Verses is a multilayered if confusing modern, mystic fable about love, lust, identity, alienation, post-colonialism, faith, jealousy, and redemption. Add in a loose religious allegory and you get death threats and one of the most famous books of the 20th century.
Also by Salman Rushdie: My review of Midnight's Children.
My complete list of book reviews.
