Words At Large

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On Valentine’s Day in 1989, Salman Rushdie became the most famous writer on earth. That was when the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran pronounced a fatwa, sentencing Rushdie and all involved in the publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses (Knopf), to death.

Ten years later the fatwa was lifted and today Rushdie lives without the constant presence of security guards. Rushdie has become an emblem and proponent of human rights and especially freedom of expression. He himself has never stopped writing and publishing. His new book, The Enchantress of Florence (Knopf), is his 10th novel. His books and his life reflect a merging of the East and West, and the role of the artist in shaping our understanding of the world.

Eleanor Wachtel spoke to Salman Rushdie on stage at the Festival of Ideas in celebration of the University of Alberta’s 100th anniversary in Edmonton.

First aired December 14, 2008 on Writers & Company. [runs 52:43]

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