Greetings, readers. Welcome to Wednesday Words. Today I honor the author, Salman Rushdie, an award-winning India-born author of many books. Although I’m not a big fan of his magical realism fiction, I do admire his nonfiction, which is like listening to him talk with you across a café table. Down to earth. Candid. Compelling.
I also revere his determination to keep writing despite adversity so great, I really can’t grasp it.
Maybe you remember that in 1989, a fatwa (legal opinion) was issued by the Iranian government against Rushdie because they were offended by his novel, The Satanic Verses, and $3 million was offered to anyone who’d kill him (remember, that book is FICTION). His gumption in the face of that threat shines through in his gripping memoir, Joseph Anton: A Memoir, which tells that story.
You see his gumption again in his 2024 memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder —his personal account of the event in 2022 when he nearly died from multiple horrendous knife wounds inflicted by a madman in front of thousands of witnesses.
“On the day of the attack in August 2022, the Booker Prize-winning novelist was seated in an armchair on stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater, about to present a lecture on keeping writers safe.” CNN
The knife trial is in progress
You can find reports of the trial at news outlets online. On Tuesday (yesterday) the following was published in The Guardian: Salman Rushdie tells stabbing trial: ‘It occurred to me quite clearly I was dying’ | Salman Rushdie | The Guardian
Rushdie’s art highlights kindness
I’ve read both of Rushdie’s memoirs, which are great works of art, and engaging to the point that I was almost unable to put them down until I finished them. His work is full of deep insights, irony, and humor. More importantly to me, in these books he shows the healing power of love and kindness—virtues in action by the people in his life who cared for him during those traumatic events. And still do.
When I met Salaman Rushdie
Back in 2007, I had the joy of meeting Rushdie at Rollins College when he came to speak. Years later, in 2022, right after the knife attack, I wrote about my unexpected moment with the author and also about the despicable knife attack: Meeting Salman Rushdie | Charlene L. Edge
Art is not luxury, it is necessity
“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.” Stella Adler
Thanks for reading!
Best wishes from your writer on the wing,
Charlene
Suzanne Keefe
Fantastic, informative and inspiring. Good job!
John Arnett
There was and interview with him on 60 minutes several months ago and they played a video clip of the horrendous attack at Chatauqua Memoir sounds worth a read. Thanks
Charlene
The memoir is quite short, really. I read it in a couple of days.
Steve Muratore
🦉🌻❤️
Charlene Edge
Thanks, everyone, for your kind messages.