Sir Salman Rushdie

Author of Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses

Public Events, Private Lives: Literature and Politics in the Modern World

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"One of the extraordinary things about human events is that the unthinkable becomes thinkable." Sir Salman Rushdie is one of the most celebrated and controversial authors of our time -- of any time. A brilliant provocateur, he's penned a handful of classics (Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses), overcome a horrific fatwa, received a knighthood from the Queen for "services to literature," and become both a genuine pop icon and one of the most prominent -- not to mention witty and thought-provoking -- proponents for free speech in the world today.

In his spellbinding lectures, Rushdie braids together the worlds of literature, politics and philosophy -- a show of intellectual pyrotechnics and deadpan humor that conveys fully the texture of modern life. He speaks about the major themes coursing through his writing, his life and our world: freedom of expression, religion, pop culture, Muslim culture, current events at home and abroad, East-West relations, and the role of the artist to shape our understanding of the world. For those more interested in his writing, he touches on storytelling, the magical realism he made famous, and the unique sensibility of his "globe-swallowing, capricious books." Few authors are as enrapturing in person as Rushdie is, or as fully embracing of their well-earned place in the spotlight.

Sir Salman Rushdie's novels include The Moor's Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet and 2008's The Enchantress of Florence; his essay books include Step Across the Line. He is the winner of many awards, including the Best of the Booker Prize, for Midnight's Children, given to the best novel to ever win the Booker, one of the world's most prestigious literary prizes. For two years, Rushdie was also president of The PEN American Center, the world's oldest human rights organization.

Additional Keynote Presentation by Salman Rushdie

At What Cost Safety? Today's Moral Compass

Rushdie shows us how religious extremism has change the world: in the past, global tensions were divided along "visible" country lines; now our safety concerns rest on the "invisible" threat of terrorism -- meaning our protagonists aren't accountable to the same public reckoning they used to be. He argues that America and her allies must rethink the war on terror and measure the gains versus the costs: in lives, in international cooperation, and in the goodwill of the very people we are trying to liberate. A thoughtful look at a citizen's duty in today's world.

VIDEOS

BOOKS

Enchantress of Florence

Midnight's Children

The Satanic Verses

ARTICLES

"Now He's Only Hunted by Cameras" - The New York Times

All Speakers > Sir Salman Rushdie

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