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The Satanic Verses
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The Satanic Verses Hardcover - 1989

by Salman Rushdie

One of the most controversial and acclaimed novels ever written, The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie is a sublimely crafted story of mayhem and miracles. It weaves together multiple narratives that explore themes of identity, religion, and cultural conflict, making it a compelling read for those interested in multiculturalism and the complexities of modern society.


About this book

The Satanic Verses is a novel written by Salman Rushdie, published in 1988. It weaves together multiple narratives and explores themes of identity, religion, and cultural conflict, including the idea of cultural hybridity and the ways in which individuals negotiate their identities in a multicultural world. 


The novel begins with a fictionalized version of the true story of the hijacking of an airplane from Bombay to London, which ends with the two main characters, Gibreel and Saladin, miraculously surviving a fall from the plane. The rest of the novel takes place in a dream-like state that turns the work into a magical realism novel. 


The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie was criticized by many conservative groups, which defined the book as blasphemous and offensive to Islam. Rushdie was even the subject of a fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his death. Due to the controversies that led to its publication, The Satanic Verses has been banned in several countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. 

Summary

One of the most controversial and acclaimed novels ever written, The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie’s best-known and most galvanizing book. Set in a modern world filled with both mayhem and miracles, the story begins with a bang: the terrorist bombing of a London-bound jet in midflight. Two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of what is angelic and evil. This is just the initial act in a magnificent odyssey that seamlessly merges the actual with the imagined. A book whose importance is eclipsed only by its quality, The Satanic Verses is a key work of our times.

From the publisher

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "[A] torrent of endlessly inventive prose, by turns comic and enraged, embracing life in all its contradictions. In this spectacular novel, verbal pyrotechnics barely outshine its psychological truths."--Newsday Winner of the Whitbread Prize One of the most controversial and acclaimed novels ever written, The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's best-known and most galvanizing book. Set in a modern world filled with both mayhem and miracles, the story begins with a bang: the terrorist bombing of a London-bound jet in midflight. Two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of what is angelic and evil. This is just the initial act in a magnificent odyssey that seamlessly merges the actual with the imagined. A book whose importance is eclipsed only by its quality, The Satanic Verses is a key work of our times. Praise for The Satanic Verses "Rushdie is a storyteller of prodigious powers, able to conjure up whole geographies, causalities, climates, creatures, customs, out of thin air."--The New York Times Book Review

"Exhilarating, populous, loquacious, sometimes hilarious, extraordinary . . . a roller-coaster ride over a vast landscape of the imagination."--The Guardian (London)

"A novel of metamorphoses, hauntings, memories, hallucinations, revelations, advertising jingles, and jokes. Rushdie has the power of description, and we succumb."--The Times (London)

First Edition Identification

The Satanic Verses book was first published in London in 1988 by Viking. The first edition had a price of  £12.95, and copies with the original wraparound band are very scarce. It was bound in blue cloth with lettering to the spine in gilt. The original unclipped dust jacket was also navy with lettering in red.

Details

  • Title The Satanic Verses
  • Author Salman Rushdie
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 560
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Viking, New York
  • Date 1989-02-22
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover
  • ISBN 9780670825370 / 0670825379
  • Weight 1.89 lbs (0.86 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.6 in (23.37 x 16.51 x 4.06 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects London (England), Survival after airplane accidents,
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 89116884
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Table of contents

The Satanic VersesI. The Angel GibreelII. MahoundIII. Ellowen DeeowenIV. AyeshaV. A City Visible but UnseenVI. Return to JahiliaVII. The Angel AzraeelVIII. The Parting of the Arabian SeaIX. A Wonderful Lamp

Media reviews

Citations

  • Atlantic Monthly, 04/01/2003, Page 94
  • Library Journal, 12/01/1988, Page 0
  • Publishers Weekly, 11/18/1988, Page 0

About the author

Salman Rushdie is the author of fourteen previous novels, including Midnight's Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), Shame, The Satanic Verses, The Moor's Last Sigh, and Quichotte, all of which have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize; a collection of stories, East, West; a memoir, Joseph Anton; a work of reportage, The Jaguar Smile; and three collections of essays, most recently Languages of Truth. His many awards include the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel, which he won twice; the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award; the National Arts Award; the French Prix du Meilleur Livre tranger; the European Union's Aristeion Prize for Literature; the Budapest Grand Prize for Literature; and the Italian Premio Grinzane Cavour. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. He is a former president of PEN America. His books have been translated into over forty languages.
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The Satanic Verses
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The Satanic Verses

by Rushdie, Salman

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