Satanic Verses doc hits wall of fear
According to The Bookseller, the BBC is making a documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Satanic Verses – but they are having trouble getting people to talk to them.
A publishing source said:
Most of the core people involved feel very strongly even today that they should keep quiet on any matters relating to The Satanic Verses and that it was enough that the hardcover [of the book] was kept in print throughout.
I’ll talk to them. I’m one of the few people that’s actually read it. I hope the people making the documentary have read it too. And I hope they make the point that Khomeni’s wrath had nothing to do with the main content of the book and everything to do with a sub-plot attacking the Iranian revolution and containing a vicious satire of Khomeni himself.
It is a brilliant book, as are all of Rushdie’s novels. For those who value their freedom, Khomeini should just be one more reason to read it. Imagination that knows no bounds always threatens religions, especially those that are particularly narrow-minded, and perhaps in this sense Khomeini was correct.
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