A question for you, Mr. Rushdie. How do you feel about the decline of the book industry over the course of your career? From the 70's until now, it seems to me, the cultural weight of books has declined considerably as TV and movies continue along and social media rises. Does it ever feel like you a working in a semi-historical medium, like a someone today building a cathedral?
salman, i have a great dilemma that i could not resolve. i have spent most of my life reading non-fiction with the thinking that the real world is complicated enough that i should not dip my toe into the fictional world fearing that i would mix up contents of the two and that i wont be able to stop reading fiction once i started. what should i do?
Dear Mr. Rushdie. Here are a few questions. I would love to know what you think.
It is 2021, and a young Salman Rushdie has just put the finishing touches to his first novel ‘Grimus’. How would you try to get this published today? Would you do anything differently? What, if anything, has changed since 1975? What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Given ‘Grimus’ has elements of science fiction, have you considered writing more sci-fi? (I see that Truffaut made ‘Fahrenheit 451’). How about a drama script for live theatre or a film screenplay?
Which writer (dead or alive) would you like most like to meet? What would you ask them?
Have you met Olga Tokarcuk or Samanta Schweblin? What do you think of their work?
Given your piece on Umberto Eco, do you think you would have got on with Charles Dickens? Mr. Dickens: a fourth musketeer or more of a Cardinal Richelieu?
What is the future of fiction? What is the future of the novel as an art form?
What is your next project after ‘The Seventh Wave’?
It is 2021. Which aspect of the human condition is the most interesting, most challenging, or most relevant to explore? Why?
Can a South Asian writer of fiction ever hope to be published and lauded in the West without writing about poverty and violence, or immigrant experiences, or empire, or spices/monsoons/ saris/other 'exotica'? The only example I can think of is Vikram Seth's novel An Equal Music.
A question: I try really hard to keep up with the best in contemporary British literature, my field of study. I feel I'm getting further behind. Who should I read? Thank you.
I've always admired your self admitted cinephile influence in your writing. However, doesn't it bother you that truly great Cinema from India has almost ceased to exist in contemporary times, as opposed to great works consistently arising from cultural geographies like S. Korea (Parasite) & Mexico (Roma) to name just two obvious examples from a barrage of creative offerings. Is it because there's a ridiculous amount of $ to be made from the overabundance of Bollywood, that an auteur with the uncompromising vision and analogous talent of say, Satyajit Ray, would find it measurably harder to go up against the masala commerce machine nowadays?
Then again, the aforementioned critically lauded Films from elsewhere and similarly great productions, were also Commercially consumed in their home countries as well as in the mothership of Capitalist validation i.e U.S.A.
Can then, one logically arrive at the conclusion that it is the audience of the subcontinent itself, to be blamed for sacrificing art for "arre vaah" momentary theatrics? Are Indians, like your beloved, but flawed character, Saleem Sinai, too growing through an identity crisis? One of enlightenment? To paraphrase the poster tagline from the inferior, but still formidable 2nd season of True Detective, "Do we get the Cinema we deserve?"
Dear Mr Rushdie- what does your typical writing day look like?
What do you consider your greatest work thus far to be?
A question for you, Mr. Rushdie. How do you feel about the decline of the book industry over the course of your career? From the 70's until now, it seems to me, the cultural weight of books has declined considerably as TV and movies continue along and social media rises. Does it ever feel like you a working in a semi-historical medium, like a someone today building a cathedral?
Good evening! My son Nectarie, who is eleven years old, would like to know what are the worst and best things about being an author. Thank you!
What's on your To Be Read pile right now?
salman, i have a great dilemma that i could not resolve. i have spent most of my life reading non-fiction with the thinking that the real world is complicated enough that i should not dip my toe into the fictional world fearing that i would mix up contents of the two and that i wont be able to stop reading fiction once i started. what should i do?
I like it that you block people on social media.
Dear Mr. Rushdie. Here are a few questions. I would love to know what you think.
It is 2021, and a young Salman Rushdie has just put the finishing touches to his first novel ‘Grimus’. How would you try to get this published today? Would you do anything differently? What, if anything, has changed since 1975? What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Given ‘Grimus’ has elements of science fiction, have you considered writing more sci-fi? (I see that Truffaut made ‘Fahrenheit 451’). How about a drama script for live theatre or a film screenplay?
Which writer (dead or alive) would you like most like to meet? What would you ask them?
Have you met Olga Tokarcuk or Samanta Schweblin? What do you think of their work?
Given your piece on Umberto Eco, do you think you would have got on with Charles Dickens? Mr. Dickens: a fourth musketeer or more of a Cardinal Richelieu?
What is the future of fiction? What is the future of the novel as an art form?
What is your next project after ‘The Seventh Wave’?
It is 2021. Which aspect of the human condition is the most interesting, most challenging, or most relevant to explore? Why?
And also, do you still play video games?
Sir Rushdie, what do you like about Kolkata?
Can a South Asian writer of fiction ever hope to be published and lauded in the West without writing about poverty and violence, or immigrant experiences, or empire, or spices/monsoons/ saris/other 'exotica'? The only example I can think of is Vikram Seth's novel An Equal Music.
If you were a beginner Salman Rushdie reader, which book of yours would you advise to start with?
After reading the above, all can say is, Salman, you would love “The Man Who Loved Dogs”, by Cuban author, Leonardo Padura.
A question: I try really hard to keep up with the best in contemporary British literature, my field of study. I feel I'm getting further behind. Who should I read? Thank you.
"Great" answer.
I've always admired your self admitted cinephile influence in your writing. However, doesn't it bother you that truly great Cinema from India has almost ceased to exist in contemporary times, as opposed to great works consistently arising from cultural geographies like S. Korea (Parasite) & Mexico (Roma) to name just two obvious examples from a barrage of creative offerings. Is it because there's a ridiculous amount of $ to be made from the overabundance of Bollywood, that an auteur with the uncompromising vision and analogous talent of say, Satyajit Ray, would find it measurably harder to go up against the masala commerce machine nowadays?
Then again, the aforementioned critically lauded Films from elsewhere and similarly great productions, were also Commercially consumed in their home countries as well as in the mothership of Capitalist validation i.e U.S.A.
Can then, one logically arrive at the conclusion that it is the audience of the subcontinent itself, to be blamed for sacrificing art for "arre vaah" momentary theatrics? Are Indians, like your beloved, but flawed character, Saleem Sinai, too growing through an identity crisis? One of enlightenment? To paraphrase the poster tagline from the inferior, but still formidable 2nd season of True Detective, "Do we get the Cinema we deserve?"