Salman Rushdie Facts

Salman Rushdie Facts
Salman Rushdie is a British-Indian author best-known for his novels Midnight's Children (1981) and The Satanic Verses (1988) that provoked world-wide controversy. He was born Ahmed Salman Rushdie on June 19th, 1947 in Bombay (British India), India to Anis Ahmed Rushdie, a lawyer and businessman, and Negin Bhatt, a teacher. Salman went to a private school in Bombay before enrolling at The Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. He continued his education at King's College at Cambridge and then worked in television and as a copywriter. Salman Rushdie's first published book was Grimus, published in 1975.
Interesting Salman Rushdie Facts:
Salman Rushdie worked as a copywriter for Ogilvy & Mather, an ad agency, after graduating from Cambridge.
Salman Rushdie came up with the American Express line "That'll do nicely."
While working at Ogilvy & Mather Salman Rushdie wrote Midnight's Children.
Salman Rushdie's first published novel was Grimus. It was released in 1975 and did not gain much acclaim or attention from critics. It was a partial science fiction story.
Midnight's Children was released in 1981 and became a success. Salman won the Booker Prize in 1981 for Midnight's Children. This book was about a boy born in India just as the country gained its independence.
In 1983 Salman Rushdie's book Shame was published. This book was based upon the political turmoil in Pakistan at the time.
The Satanic Verses was published in 1983. It created controversy in the Islamic world because of the perceived depiction of Muhammad. The book was banned in many countries, especially in those with large Muslim populations including India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Pakistan, Venezuela, Singapore, Indonesia, Tanzania, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Sudan.
Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's spiritual leader at the time, broadcast on Radio Tehran on February 14th, 1989 calling The Satanic Verses 'blasphemous against Islam', and he called for Salman Rushdie's execution.
Salman Rushdie had a bounty on his head and was forced to live under police protection for many years.
The United Kingdom and Iran broke their diplomatic relations over the Salman Rushdie controversy in 1989.
Bookstores were firebombed, and violence erupted around the world; public rallies were held and some people involved in the book's publication were seriously injured or killed.
Salman Rushdie made a public appearance in 1993 at a concert in London held by U2.
In 1998 Mohammad Khatami made a public commitment to neither support or hinder Rushdie's assassination, in an effort to restore diplomatic relations with Britain.
In 2005 Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the death sentence.
Salman Rushdie used the name Joseph Anton while in hiding.
A 2010 Al-Qaeda hit-list included Salman Rushdie's name because he is said to have insulted Islam.
Salman Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for services to literature in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
Salman Rushdie has written several novels including Grimus, Midnight's Children, Shame, The Satanic Verses, The Moor's Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Fury, Shalimar the Clown, and The Enchantress of Florence.
Salman Rushdie had written children's books, essays, and non-fiction, and won an extensive list of awards for his writing.


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