Arise, Sir Salman

For services to wobbly tables, piles of paper on windy days, short people trying to reach high shelves and Oxfam bookshops everywhere.

Reading Midnight's Children is two weeks of my life I shall never get back, for which he will never be forgiven.  Officially my least favourite book of all time.

Comments

[Bela]

Just before that book was published in France, in 1981 (or 82), I spent an afternoon with Salman Rushdie and his French editor. She was a friend and had been *my* editor too when I had worked as a literary translator in Paris a few years earlier. We met in a flat in Bedford Square (which belonged to the publisher Ernest Hecht) and had tea and cakes. I wish I could remember what Rushdie said; unfortunately, I developed a terrible migraine halfway through the proceedings and had to take my leave a little prematurely. I don’t think he was to blame for it. More likely the excitement of meeting *the* most famous British writer of the period had taken its toll. I’m sure I could find quite a detailed account in my diary for that year, but right now all I remember is that he already struck me as arrogant and fairly humourless, although not as much as he became later on: after all, he had to be ‘nice’ to his editor, who was (and still is) an important force in French publishing.

I’ve never read Midnight’s Children: a few pages skimmed standing up in a bookshop convinced me it wasn’t for me.

[Tim Footman]

At least you read it. Seem to be a lot of people objecting to SR's gong who haven't...

[Bela]

At least those of us who resisted the hype do not regret wasting two weeks of our lives reading it.

Have you also read The Bone People by Keri Hulme?

[Ian Hocking]

It was twice as bad for me; I took a month to read half of it before putting it down...

[themanwhofellasleep]

I really dislike the Rushdie books that I've read, but I have found myself in the position of defending his knighthood. It seems like everyone who objects to him becoming Sir Salman is doing so because the Satanic Verses offended some Muslims, not because he's a really dull writer.

[nmj]

Hey Scott, Och, I feel I have to defend 'Midnight's Children' here, though I am not really a fan of Salman or his other writing ('The Moor's Last Sigh' is on my bookshelf, still unopened, since we queued up, airport security style, to see him read years ago). I read 'Midnight's Children' in 1984 - I admit I had to start it three or four times, but I became hooked, I was very ill at the time, bedridden, and reading this book became my long term project, my goal. I was overjoyed when I managed to finish it, and although I can hardly remember it now (Parvati-the-witch is the only character who sticks in my head) I still rate it as one of my favourite books. I probably should re-read it though.

[John Self]

Looks like I'll have to step up to the plate. I defend Rushdie on the basis that I enjoyed The Satanic Verses enough to read it twice. Midnight's Children I completed but did struggle with much of the time, though I definitely intend to reread it. Shame and The Ground Beneath Her Feet I gave up on. The Moor's Last Sigh (which was vivid and brilliant when I heard him reading from it: maybe Rushdie audiobooks are the way forward) and Shalimar the Clown are in my to-be-read pile. On balance I still think of him as a force for good.

[Tess B]

I blame Midnight's Children for leaving my book club. After deferring discussion for three meetings due to it 'being so long' I was then forced to admit not completing it in the fourth meeting, at which point one rather serious minded member was close to hitting me. . . the book having been my suggestion in the first place.
I never have completed it, but I love it more than most others. Are all books meant to be finished?

[HB]

I've never finished Perfume. I loved it, I loved it so much I never wanted it to end. By not reading the last chapter it hasn't ended. At least not for me.

Someone did tell me what happened the other day and now I am glad I haven't finished it. I fear I would have been disappointed.

I'm with Tess, “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

[Paul M. Cray]

I'll admit that I approached "Midnight's Children" with trepidation, but I found it to be a superb book, clever, funny and engaging. I have to confess I haven't read any Rushdie since, a solecism for which I nightly berate myself.

[Octavo]

A knighthood? Seriously? What on earth has he ever done to deserve a knighthood?

[Ann]

Read his books? Why?

[Octavo]

He may be a decent writer (and even that's debatable), but there are far better authors out there and I don't see Ian Banks getting any knighthoods. Perhaps I'm letting my personal dislike for the man cloud my judgement, but seriously, what are the criteria? Who decided that we'd all have to call him "Sir Rushdie" from now on and why?

[Tess B]

Perhaps it is more knighthoods we should be giving, not less? We should give more writers knighthoods, not for a whole book or many books, but for perfect phrases. Collections of words that sing to us, that make us feel good to be alive, to be human, to be able to read and hear. . . :-) Here's to lots and lots of literary Sirs!!!

"Things - even people - have a way of leaking into each other,' I explain, 'like flavours when you cook. . . the past has dripped into me . . . so we can't ignore it. . .' Her shrug, which does pleasantly wavy things to her chest, cuts me off" Midnight's Children p38

[John Self]

Octavo, Iain Banks for a knighthood, are you serious? I thought everyone agreed he went off the boil either 15 or 20 years ago (depending on viewpoint). Plus the man's an old-style socialist and would never accept it even if offered.

It would indeed be odd to call him Sir Rushdie. Sir Salman would probably do fine.

Anyway I came here to say that I've just finished reading Shalimar the Clown, and Scott will be mildly irritated (but really not care much) to know that Rushdie has gone up in my estimation:

http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2007/06/27/salman-rushdie-shalimar-the-clown/

It's a cracking read, and possibly a masterpiece I'm afraid.