What is "Satanic" in The Satanic Verses?

What is "Satanic" in The Satanic Verses?

One of the most popular and controversial authors of the 20th century, Salman Rushdie, that is, Sir Salman Rushdie, was born in Mumbai in 1947 as the only son of a teacher and a rich Indian businessman of Muslim origin.

He had a happy childhood. He grew up with three sisters and was always surrounded by books. As he himself stated, he already knew at the age of five that he wanted to become a writer.

When he turned 14, his family sent him to study in England. He was not well received by his fellow students there. Both because of his Indian roots and his lack of athletic ability,Rushdie was the victim of racist ridicule. On the other hand, he was extremely skilled in debating, which is why he received a scholarship to King's College in Cambridge. 

The experiences from Cambridge were much more pleasant. He graduated in history in 1968. After a short acting career, he worked as a copywriter in London during the 70s. 

Photo: Streets of Mumbai, Marijana Matijević

Writing style

Rushdi's writing style is called magical realism. It is a literary and artistic direction in which elements of fantasy intertwine with reality, thereby identifying with it and forming a harmonious whole based on an objective relationship. 

As a literary genre, it originated in Latin America in the 1960s, and the term was originally used in the 1920s to describe the works of painters who appeared in Germany after the First World War.

Salman Rushdie uses magical realism to show readers the reality and harsh truth of the world. 

The Satanic Verses - brief content

Photo: Biblos

The Satanic Verses is a magical realist novel that was published in 1988. It is one of the most controversial books of the late 20th century. 

The complex and multi-layered plot focuses on two protagonists; both are Indian Muslims living in England. Gibreel is a successful film actor who recently suffered from mental illness, and Saladin is a voice actor who had a falling out with his father. Gibreel and Saladin meet on a flight from Mumbai to London, and the plane is hijacked by Sikh terrorists. During the altercation, the terrorists accidentally detonate a bomb, destroying the aircraft over the English Channel. The book opens with Gibreel and Saladin, the only survivors, falling into the Atlantic Ocean.

Gibreel transforms into the angel Gabriel, and Saladin turns into the devil as he falls. Also, the book features the character of an imam, a religious fanatic and an evil madman, who after years of emigration in the West returns home with contempt for Western culture.

Condemnation of the Islamic World

Immediately after the publication of The Satanic Verses, and due to his expressed critical views on Islam and Muslim traditions, the late Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, on February 14, 1988, gave Salman Rushdie the so-called fatwa, that is, publicly condemned him to death, which triggered Rus hdi's general persecution from conservative Muslim believers. 

Although the entire intellectual world came to his defense, members of the Islamic faith were so affected by his book that even some prominent Muslim intellectuals joined the criticism.

Banning and public burning of the book
 

For The Satanic Verses, Rushdie received the Whitbread Award in 1988, but the novel's reputation banned in India and South Africa, and Indian immigrants in England organized a public burning of the book. 

When Ayatollah Khomeini called on all righteous Muslims to execute the writer and publisher of the book, Rushdie was forced to hide from the public for a long time.

One associate of Khomeini even offered a monetary reward, in the amount of million dollars, for his death. 

During the riots that broke out on the occasion of the fatwa in India, Pakistan and Egypt, there were also several deaths. 

In 1990, Rushdie published an essay entitled In Good Intentions,to appease his critics and issue a public apology in which he reiterated his respect for Islam. Ipak, iransko svećenstvo nije povuklo prijetnju smrtnom kaznom.

Ono što je zanimljivo je da Sotonski stihovi nisu zabranjeni u Iranu, niti je zabranu knjige predlagao sam Homeini.

Što na sve to kaže Salman Rushdie?

„Uvrede su tajanstvene. Ono što nekome može sličiti na najokrutniju, a devastating insult does not have to produce any consequences at all, while something that at first glance does not seem like a serious insult, such as "Thank God you are not my child" can ultimately pierce even the strongest armor and hit straight to the heart." (From the book "Under her feet"). It is clear, namely, his belief that the strength of an insult should be measured by the effects it produces.

Rushdie also said that "the book is not really about Islam, but about migration, metamorphosis, divided selves, love, death, London and Bombay." 

Also, some British authors such as Baqer Moin and Kenan Malik point out that the controversy surrounding the "Satanic Verses" is not religiously but politically motivated and that it began in November 1988 during the elections in India where Muslim hardliners attacked Rushdie's work to score political points.

Life in hiding and the attack to the writer in 2022

After the religious condemnation, Salman Rushdie lived withdrawn from the public, hiding from possible murderers. 

In September 1998, the Iranian government announced that it would not do anything to implement the fatwa, nor would it encourage others to do so. As he stated, Rushdie decided to stop hiding.

Unfortunately, in August 2022, while preparing to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute in the United States of America, Rushdie was attacked by a man who rushed on stage and stabbed him multiple times, including wounds to the neck. The attacker was subdued by members of the audience present before he was taken into custody. Fortunately, the writer survived the attack, but it has serious consequences, namely he cannot see in one eye and cannot use his hand.

Other literary works

He began his literary work in 1975 with the novel "Grimus". It is a work based on a well-known fantastic poem from the 12th century. 

Rushdi's next novel, "Midnight's Children" brought him awards and world fame. The book talks about the birth of the modern Indian nation and the division of British India into Indian and Pakistani territories. 

You The novel "Shame" is the life of a well-to-do Pakistani family, and the writer uses the family's history as a metaphor for national history.

We will also highlight the novels "The Last View of the Moor", "The Ground Under Her Feet", "Rage", "Shalimar the Clown", "The Florentine Enchantress"...

Private Life

Salman Rushdie married and divorced four times. He has two children. 

Currently lives in the United States of America.

Prepared by: Marijana Matijević