A look at Salman Rushdie’s Victory City and controversies surrounding the author

Here’s a look at Salman Rushdie’s top books and controversies surrounding the author.

The Satanic Verses is a novel by Salman Rushdie that was banned in several nations including India upon its publication in 1988. It became one of the most controversial books of the late 20th Century. The book contains satirical depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, which outraged the Muslim community. Ayatollah Khomeini, the then Supreme Leader of Iran, had even issued a fatwa against Rushdie. The writer went into hiding for almost a decade and he is still targeted for it.

The novel Shame was deemed as an unclassifiable but necessary work by critics as it tells the remarkable stories of different characters marked by shame. The novel might be included in the category of magical realism for its acceptance of completely preternatural happenings within a setting that is otherwise grounded in reality. The book was mired in controversy in Pakistan as it discussed the problems of artificial divisions of the country and how it affected people.

Midnight’s Children is one of the most notable and celebrated works of Salman Rushdie. It was just his second novel and he won the Booker Prize for it to become an international success. The novel is about modern India’s coming of age told through the life of the character Saleem Sinai who was born at midnight, on the day of India’s Independence. A movie adaptation of the book was also made by renowned filmmaker Deepa Mehta. The book was banned in India due to its unflattering depiction of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. Rushdie faced a defamation case in India for this book, though the matter was settled out of court later.

The Moor’s Last Sigh is the story of a spice trader, who magically ages twice as fast as normal humans. The protagonist of the story, Moor, narrates his existence, relating how all events have led up to the present and the novel draws on historical and cultural references, touching on India’s struggles after independence. The Moor’s Last Sigh is regarded as a masterpiece of Salman Rushdie. The book was de facto banned by the then-Indian government and imports of the book to the country were restricted. The book said to be based on real-life incidents from Mumbai and Cochin, mentioned a dog named Jawahar, which stirred controversy in India.

The Golden House is another controversial book which is set in New York and begins on the day when Barack Obama first took charge as the US President. The story is narrated in the first person and the narrator is Rene, an aspiring filmmaker, and the objects of his curiosity are his new neighbours. The novel begins with Obama’s rise to power in 2008 and ends with the reign of Trump the ‘Joker’, a character with green hair, white skin and red lips. It was also replete with references to India.