For more than three decades, author Salman Rushdie has lived under threat. In 1989, a fatwa forced him into hiding. In 2022, he was stabbed more than a dozen times while speaking on stage—and nearly killed.

 

Less than two years later, he recounted the attack (and remarkable recovery) in his memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. Now, at seventy-eight, Rushdie returns to fiction withThe Eleventh Hour, a collection of five interlinked stories that explore anger, peace, mortality, and legacy.

 

We begin with the inspirations behind the new quintet (5:52), Rushdie’s formative, bookish years in Bombay (14:20), and the tumultuous family life that shaped his early writing (21:20). Then, he reflects on his time at Cambridge (29:30), his stint as a copywriter (35:32), and the lightbulb moment that led to his breakout novel, Midnight’s Children(39:40).

 

On the back half, we discuss the fatwa (50:15) and book burning of The Satanic Verses(53:30), threats to free speech (56:36), and the slippery slope of political censorship (1:04:30). We also talk about Rushdie’s recovery and return to the page (1:14:10), his meta Curb Your Enthusiasm appearance (1:08:37), and the lasting power of literature (1:24:00).

 

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.

For more than three decades, author Salman Rushdie has lived under threat. In 1989, a fatwa forced him into hiding. In 2022, he was stabbed more than a dozen times while speaking on stage&mdash;and nearly killed.
&nbsp;
Less than two years later, he recounted the attack (and remarkable recovery) in his memoir&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738826/knife-by-salman-rushdie/">Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder</a>. Now, at seventy-eight, Rushdie returns to fiction with <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803572/the-eleventh-hour-by-salman-rushdie/">The Eleventh Hour</a>, a collection of five interlinked stories that explore anger, peace, mortality, and legacy.
&nbsp;
We begin with the inspirations behind the new quintet (5:52), Rushdie&rsquo;s formative, bookish years in Bombay (14:20), and the tumultuous family life that shaped his early writing (21:20). Then, he reflects on his time at Cambridge (29:30), his stint as a copywriter (35:32), and the lightbulb moment that led to his breakout novel,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/158932/midnights-children-by-salman-rushdie/">Midnight&rsquo;s Children</a> (39:40).
&nbsp;
On the back half, we discuss the fatwa (50:15) and book burning of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/323746/the-satanic-verses-by-salman-rushdie/">The Satanic Verses</a> (53:30), threats to free speech (56:36), and the slippery slope of political censorship (1:04:30). We also talk about Rushdie&rsquo;s recovery and return to the page (1:14:10), his meta Curb Your Enthusiasm appearance (1:08:37), and the lasting power of literature (1:24:00).
&nbsp;
Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.

Where people sound like people, since 2016.

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