Irony in his blood: The lighter side of Salman Rushdie
Aug 9th, 2008 by Ashok
I haven’t read Enchantress of Florence yet. To be quite honest, I’m not particularly a Salman Rushdie fan. Although I’ve read and enjoyed a few of his books–I loved The Ground Beneath Her Feet, liked the bits of Midnight’s Children that I was able to read over the years, and was blown away by the sheer imaginative vigour of his writing in The Satanic Verses–I don’t share the ‘God’ complex that most critics and readers suffer from with regard to his work. But I always find the man himself engaging and worth watching or reading.
In this two-part interview with my favourite interviewer, Rick Kleffel of The Agony Column, I delighted in the sparkling wit and repartee of Rushdie. To put it mildly, he had the audience in splits. This is something most people often overlook, the mischief and wit of the man. It’s very much on display in these very enjoyable interviews, and whether or not you’ve read Rushdie before, you simply must listen to them. It’s rare to find an author of such stature so relaxed, self-assured, and secure in his own intellect to speak so candidly about himself, his career, his work, religion, and a variety of topics.
It’s the best audio interview of Rushdie I’ve ever come across. Do give it a listen.
Click here to listen to Part I of Rick Kleffel’s interview with Salman Rushdie
Right-click to download the mp3 file
Click here to listen to Part II of Rick Kleffel’s interview with Salman Rushdie
Or right-click to download the mp3 file
