Thursday 12 August 2021

Rushdie, Salman "The Satanic Verses" Buddy-Read/Read-Along Announcement


Rushdie, Salman "The Satanic Verses" - 1988

A while ago, I talked to one of my blogger friends, Emma (@ Words and Peace) about Salman Rushdie and mentioned that I hadn't read this book by him. She had read and thoroughly enjoyed the last two books published by him ("Quichotte" and "Languages of Truth"), I had read "Midnight's Children" but never his earlier novels.

Emma has been buddy-reading a couple of times, so she suggested we read this together and invite others, as well.

Emma and I will be reading "The Satanic Verses" in November 2021.

Description:

"Just before dawn one winter's morning, a hijacked jumbo jet blows apart high above the English channel. Through the debris of limbs, drinks trolleys, memories, blankets, and oxygen masks, two figures fall towards the sea: Gibreel Farishta, India's legendary movie star, and Saladin Chamcha, the man of a thousand voices. Clinging to each other, singing rival songs, they plunge downward, and are finally washed up, alive, on the snow-covered sands of an English beach.

Their survival is a miracle, but an ambiguous one. Gibreel acquires a halo, while, to his dismay, Saladin's legs grow hairier, his feet turn into hooves, and hornlike appendages appear at his temples. Gibreel and Saladin have been chosen (by whom?) as opponents in the eternal wrestling match between Good and Evil. But which is which? As the two men tumble through space and time towards their final confrontation, we are witness to a cycle of tales of love and passion, of betrayal and faith."

Let us know if you would like to join us.

  • Each week, we’ll have a set number of pages to read. We will take turn in creating questions, and posting our answers to them.
  • You can join us either by posting your answers in a comment or on your blog, or in taking turn posting questions as well.
  • We will have a total of 5 posts, so it would actually be really nice to have 5 active participants, each one of us creating one set of questions.

Have you read this book?
According to you,
Is it a good representative of magical realism?

This is Emma's Announcement.
You can buy the book at Emma's Bookshop.

All posts about this buddy-read.
Introduction on Emma's blog
Introduction on my blog
Pre-discussion questions by Emma
- Link to that on my blog
Questions to parts 1 and 2 by Marianne
- Link to that on Emma's blog
Questions to parts 3 and 4 by Emma
- Link to that on my blog
Questions to part 5 by Marianne
- Link to that on Emma's blog
Questions parts 6 to 9 by Emma
- Link to that on my blog

7 comments:

  1. So thrilled to be going onto this new adventure with you. That was a great idea to post the synopsis of the book!!

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    Replies
    1. Me, too, Emma. I'm really looking forward to this.

      I always add the synopsis as well as a link to Goodreads - though they are "hidden" unter the picture, I mention it from time to time and on my description but I never know whether people will notice. But at least the can read the description on my page.

      Have a good weekend.

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  2. I haven't read "The Satanic Verses", but I do remember what a sensation it made when it was released... Didn't the author receive death threats or something to that effect?

    Since this novel made such a sensation and even won the Whitbread Prize, I'll give it a go! Plus, it'll be fun to have others to discuss this book with!

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    Replies
    1. That's great, Lisa. I told Emma we'd find some buddies for the read, And yes, you remember correctly, he did receive death threats. But - he's still among us, writing more books.

      I'm really looking forward to reading this with you.

      Happy weekend!

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    2. It'll be fun! I hope many other readers join in with reading this novel as well.

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    3. So do I, Lisa, but it's already fun with just a few other readers. Emma and I said it will be alright with just the two of us but she also has already one other reader. You can follow both of our threads, if you like. Then you have all the information right away.

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    4. I sent you an e-mail, Lisa. If you don't find it in your inbox, please, check your spam. I often find messages from people who write for the first time in there.

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