Languages of Truth

December 1, 2020

Collecting pieces he wrote in the first two decades of the 21st century, some never before published, Booker Prize winner Rushdie surveys issues of migration, multiculturalism, and censorship in a tumultuous time. He also peers at favorite writers, from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison, and considers the very nature of truth.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2021
"One of the things I've learned as a writer is voraciousness," Rushdie confided in a commencement speech. Ravenous for life, stories, freedom, and justice, he is propelled on intellectual journeys between East and West, past and present, fact and fiction, words and image. Rushdie has not merely gathered together the essays in his third robust retrospective collection in three decades; he has "thoroughly revised" every piece, plunging into a grand array of subjects and fashioning ensnaring prose that is, by turns, erudite, caustic, and funny. Rushdie shares vivid family stories, celebrates "wonder tales," and argues for boldly imaginative fiction. But he also avers that writers must "undertake the task of rebuilding our readers' belief in reality, their faith in the truth." He states that migration "is the great subject of our time"; considers moral courage and paradox; freshly critiques the work of writers and artists ranging from Hans Christian Andersen and Kurt Vonnegut to Amrita Sher-Gil and Kara Walker, and closes with a chronicle of his bout with COVID-19. Engrossing and provocative testimony to our need for the "languages of truth."

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Starred review from March 1, 2021
Wide-ranging nonfiction pieces by the distinguished novelist, unified by his commitment to artistic freedom and his adamant opposition to censorship in any form. Rushdie sets the tone in the opening essay of this stimulating collection, culled from various lectures, journalism, and introductions to books and exhibition catalogs (all "thoroughly revised"). "Before there were books, there were stories," writes the author: Fiction was born from folktales, fables, and mythology, and the modern works Rushdie most admires share with those "wonder tales" an understanding that "injecting the fabulous into the real [makes] it more vivid and strangely, more truthful." In Parts 1 and 2, the author ranges across world mythology; the two great progenitors of modern literature, Cervantes and Shakespeare; and their 20th-century successors, including Vonnegut, Roth, M�rquez, Beckett, and Pinter. All underscore Rushdie's point that conventional realism is insufficient to capture life's endless variety and strangeness. Part 3 engages with the political and social battles of our day, "when reality itself seems everywhere under attack." As the victim of attacks over allegedly blasphemous content in The Satanic Verses, Rushdie notes the essential similarity of Islamic and right-wing Christian fundamentalism, eloquently affirming the democratic values of pluralism, secularism, and tolerance. In several pieces about his work with PEN, where he established and served for a decade as chairman of the World Voices International Literary Festival, the author once again draws connections among artistic, political, and civil liberties and celebrates the international solidarity of artists. Part 4 spotlights the visual arts, from the 16th-century series of hundreds of paintings chronicling the "Adventures of Hamza," a pinnacle of Mughal art, to Hungarian Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil and African American artist Kara Walker. Moving tributes to departed friends Christopher Hitchens and Carrie Fisher capture the warmth underlying their famed acerbity, wit, and rage--qualities Rushdie has been known to exhibit himself. This collection, however, showcases his generous spirit, dedicated to illuminating the work of fellow artists and defending their right to unfettered creativity. Formidably erudite, engagingly passionate, and endlessly informative: a literary treat.

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Starred review from May 1, 2021

In this superb essay collection, Rushdie (Quichotte) examines a wide range of people and topics, including his friendship with Carrie Fisher, the influence of Heroclitus, the legacy of Muhammad Ali, the hijra community (a third gender officially recognized on the Indian subcontinent), Osama Bin Laden's secret compound, and the creation of over a thousand Hamzanama paintings in 16th-century India. Other essays discuss the works of notable writers, mostly men (Samuel Beckett, Miguel de Cervantes, Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez, Harold Pinter). Some of Rushdie's texts originally appeared as lectures, introductions to books or exhibition catalogues, magazine or newspaper articles, or commencement addresses; others are being published for the first time in this book. Rushdie includes essays that describe his efforts to become a successful writer and his recent battle with COVID-19. In other insightful writings, he shares his opinions on the adaptation of books into film; the notion of moral courage; and a flawed, but common assumption that all novels are autobiographies in disguise. Essays have been thoroughly revised and the author often includes postscripts where necessary when revisiting subjects that he originally wrote or lectured about years before. These older writings in particular demonstrate Rushdie's foresight, predicting the rise of political demagoguery and attacks on truth. VERDICT Highly recommended for Rushdie fans, as well as readers interested in art, literature, or creative writing.--Erica Swenson Danowitz, Delaware Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Media, PA

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.