Overview
- In a Jan. 29 videopress briefing with Spanish-language media, Rushdie called public life in the United States “very dark,” pointing to talk of Greenland and Canada linked to President Donald Trump.
- He condemned expanding book bans as an attack on the First Amendment, citing removals or challenges to One Hundred Years of Solitude, Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, with some bans later overturned in court.
- The Random House collection comprises five stories that reflect on death, legacy and belonging, revisiting figures from Midnight’s Children and spanning India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- He described ‘El viejo de la piazza’ as an allegory on free speech and polarization, and said ‘Oklahoma’ was inspired by a Prado visit with Francisco de Goya appearing as a character.
- He said the Spanish-language release is slated for Feb. 17 and noted that an Alex Gibney–directed documentary about the 2022 attack, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie, is currently seeking a distributor.