NEW YORK - Prominent literary figures including Paul Auster and Gay Talese gathered Friday in Manhattan for a reading of Salman Rushdie's works, in solidarity with the author seriously injured in a stabbing attack.
is a galvanising moment and that others stand up to fight for freedom of speech. amanda foreman, a british biographer and historian, wasn t surprised to hear that the suspected attacker hadn t read the satanic verses beyond a page or two. freedom of expression isn t easy, it s not simple. it s highly problematic. people do get offended. terrible things are sometimes said. this is not a perfect society, and freedom of expression is not a perfect principle, but it s the best one we have, and if we are frightened, if we are silent, then the bullies and the silencers have won. chanting: censorship has got to go! the demonstration today is reminiscent of another held in 1989 after iran s ayatollah issued a religious ruling calling for sir salman s death. writers then also stood up for the indian born british author and criticised stores that refused to carry his novel. but how much has changed since then? so much of our public discourse now
equally, they hope this is a galvanising moment and that others stand up to fight for freedom of speech. amanda foreman, a british biographer and historian, wasn t surprised to hear that the suspected attacker hadn t read the satanic verses beyond a page or two. freedom of expression isn t easy, it s not simple. it s highly problematic. people do get offended. terrible things are sometimes said. this is not a perfect society and freedom of expression is not a perfect principle, but it s the best one we have, and if we are frightened, if we are silent, then the bullies and the silencers have won. censorship has got to go! the demonstration today is reminiscent of another held in 1989 after iran s ayatollah issued a religious ruling calling for sir salman s death. writers then also stood up for the indian born british author and criticised stores that refused to carry his novel.
as he lies in hospital on the road to recovery, the literary community here is still reeling from the attack on his life and the attack on his freedom to write. salman, my dear old friend. in a show of support, authors gathered on the steps of the public library to read aloud passages from his body of work, including the controversial novel the satanic verses, viewed by some muslims as blasphemous, as well as books such as midnight s children, his memoir, joseph anton, and the golden house. i crawled before i could walk. i walked before i could run. the organisers hope this rally raises sir salman s spirits. they say he knows it has taken place and intended to watch. equally, they hope this is a galvanising moment and that others stand up to fight for freedom of speech. amanda foreman, a british biographer and historian, wasn t surprised to hear that the suspected attacker hadn t read the satanic verses beyond a page or two.