Always Take Notes #228: Salman Rushdie, novelist
Dec 23, 2025
Salman Rushdie, celebrated novelist and essayist best known for Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses, discusses returning to fiction after his 2022 attack and the origins of his new story collection. He reflects on storytelling roots, language and recurring themes, the physical effects of the attack on his writing, discipline and routine, and his skepticism about AI capturing literary voice.
01:11:04
Bad Early Novels Were Learning Tools
- Early unpublished novels included a Pynchon-like manuscript and a poorly executed political novel, both teaching him through mistakes.
- His first published Grimus received poor reviews, which he found disappointing despite Ursula Le Guin's praise.
Linking Personal And National Timelines
- Rushdie mapped his birth to India's independence as a narrative device that enlarged Midnight's Children.
- He learned to 'learn while writing' and built a precise architecture for that novel.
Plan A Skeleton Then Discover Details
- For large projects Rushdie recommends having a clear skeleton before fleshing out interconnected events.
- He also advises allowing writing to remain a process of discovery as experience grows.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Why collect The Eleventh Hour stories
01:52 • 3min
Short story form and influences
05:20 • 2min
Language and recurring themes
07:20 • 1min
Returning to fiction after the attack
08:24 • 2min
Discipline, urgency and daily routine
10:06 • 1min
Physical effects on writing
11:20 • 1min
Writing Knife: timing and process
12:31 • 1min
Catharsis and revisiting the scene
14:01 • 2min
Tiring of discussing the attack
15:51 • 34sec
Early life and storytelling roots
16:25 • 2min
The Wizard of Oz and first writing
18:23 • 2min
Cambridge, E.M. Forster and belonging
20:36 • 3min
Advertising taught discipline
24:04 • 3min
Early unpublished experiments
26:36 • 2min
Ad break
28:39 • 2min
Writing Midnight's Children
30:28 • 4min
Architecture and plotting methods
33:59 • 1min
Booker win changed everything
35:15 • 1min
1980s literary scene and 'generation' label
36:22 • 3min
Work-in-progress privacy and editing
39:31 • 1min
Agents who defended The Satanic Verses
40:40 • 4min
How his agents worked together
44:27 • 1min
Life under the fatwa and keeping a journal
45:53 • 4min
Who supported him and surprises
49:28 • 2min
Publishing impact of controversy
51:41 • 2min
Friendship with Christopher Hitchens
54:00 • 2min
Finances, insurance and teaching
56:04 • 3min
Perceived risk by 2022
58:51 • 2min
Humour as resistance and tone
01:00:50 • 2min
Thoughts on AI and creativity
01:03:09 • 3min
Experimentation, voice and uniqueness
01:06:00 • 18sec
Outro
01:06:19 • 3min
#
A thousand and one nights
Michel Nicola
A collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. The stories revolve around Scheherazade, who tells tales to King Shahryar to postpone her execution.
These tales include famous stories like "Aladdin," "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," and "Sinbad the Sailor.
" The collection is known for its rich cultural insights, fantastical elements, and intricate narrative structure.
It explores themes of love, fate, morality, and the power of storytelling.
The tales have been adapted and translated worldwide, influencing literature, art, and popular culture.
The stories offer a glimpse into the social customs, beliefs, and values of the medieval Middle East.
#14546
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
In the Penal Colony
Franz Kafka
The story takes place on a tropical island where a penal colony operates under a strict and inhumane system of justice.
An officer, deeply devoted to the old Commandant who invented the execution apparatus, explains its workings to a traveler.
The apparatus writes the sentence of the condemned onto their body over several hours, leading to a slow and agonizing death.
The officer's enthusiasm for the machine contrasts with the traveler's growing discomfort and moral outrage.
When the traveler refuses to support the officer's plea to continue using the apparatus, the officer frees the condemned prisoner and subjects himself to the machine, which malfunctions and kills him brutally.
The story explores themes of power, control, and the critique of authoritarian systems.
#1483
• Mentioned in 28 episodes
The metamorphosis
Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who wakes up to find himself transformed into a huge insect.
The novella delves into the themes of alienation, as Gregor becomes physically and emotionally isolated from his family and society.
Despite his new form, Gregor retains his human thoughts and feelings, leading to a profound internal conflict.
The story also explores the impact of Gregor's transformation on his family, particularly his sister Grete, who undergoes her own metamorphosis from a girl to a woman.
The novella is a classic example of literary modernism, examining the absurdity and meaninglessness of modern life.
#2448
• Mentioned in 18 episodes
America
Franz Kafka
juan urquizu
Amerika, also known as The Man Who Disappeared, is an unfinished novel by Franz Kafka.
It tells the story of Karl Rossmann, a young man who is banished to the United States after being falsely accused of a scandal.
The novel explores themes of alienation, identity, and the struggles of an immigrant in a new and unfamiliar world.
#
Breaking the Taboo
why we need to talk about birth trauma
Theo Clarke
#5832
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
Shame
Free Yourself, Find Joy, and Build True Self-Esteem
Joseph Burgo
#7331
• Mentioned in 7 episodes
Joseph Anton
A Memoir
Salman Rushdie
In 'Joseph Anton: A Memoir', Salman Rushdie recounts his life under the pseudonym Joseph Anton, a name derived from his favorite writers Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov.
The memoir describes his period in hiding due to the fatwa issued after the publication of 'The Satanic Verses', detailing the grim and sometimes comic realities of living with armed police protection, his relationships, and his fight for freedom of speech.
Written in the third person, the book provides an intimate and explosive account of Rushdie's personal and public struggles during this period.
#31949
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Grimus
Salman Rushdie
#13519
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
East of West
The Apocalypse Year One
Jonathan Hickman
East of West is a post-apocalyptic Western comic book series created by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta.
The story is set in a fractured United States, where different factions are vying for control amidst the impending apocalypse.
The series follows the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as they navigate a world filled with political intrigue, religious fanaticism, and supernatural forces.
East of West is known for its complex plot, rich world-building, and striking artwork.
The series explores themes of destiny, free will, and the consequences of choices.
It received critical acclaim for its unique blend of genres and its thought-provoking narrative.
#32773
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Salman Rushdie
In 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories', Salman Rushdie takes readers on a magical adventure with Haroun Khalifa, the son of a famous storyteller named Rashid.
When Haroun's mother leaves and Rashid loses his ability to tell stories, Haroun embarks on a quest to the Sea of Stories, a mystical realm where all tales originate.
There, he encounters various characters and joins a war between the kingdoms of Gup and Chup to defeat Khattam-Shud, who seeks to end all stories.
The novel explores the power of storytelling, freedom of speech, and the impact of narratives on reality.
Written during a time of personal hardship, including the fatwa against Rushdie, the book is a testament to the resilience and importance of stories in our lives.
#8041
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
The castle
Franz Kafka
In 'The Castle', Franz Kafka tells the story of K., a land surveyor who arrives in a village governed by a mysterious and inaccessible castle.
K. claims to have been summoned by the castle authorities, but his presence is met with confusion and hostility.
The novel follows K.'s futile attempts to contact the elusive castle official Klamm and to understand the bureaucratic processes of the castle.
Through K.'s interactions with various villagers and officials, Kafka explores themes of bureaucracy, alienation, and the search for meaning in a seemingly incomprehensible world.
The novel was left unfinished by Kafka and was published posthumously in 1926.
#2284
• Mentioned in 20 episodes
Midnight's Children
Salman Rushdie
The novel tells the story of Saleem Sinai, who is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the moment of India's independence from British rule.
Saleem's life is intricately linked with the history of India, and he possesses telepathic powers that allow him to communicate with other 'midnight children' born between 12 a.
m. and 1 a. m. on that date.
Each of these children has unique magical powers, and Saleem acts as a conduit to connect them.
The story spans various historical events in India, including the partition, wars, and the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi.
It explores themes of identity, history, and the fragmented nature of a newly independent nation.
#898
• Mentioned in 40 episodes
Satanic Verses
Salman Rushdie
The novel follows the lives of two Indian Muslims, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, who survive a plane hijacking and subsequent explosion.
As they fall from the plane, they are transformed into angelic and satanic figures.
The story delves into various themes, including the founding of Islam through the character Mahound, the story of a visionary girl named Ayesha, and the struggles of identity and faith.
The book is known for its complex, multilayered plot and its use of dreams within dreams, which generated significant controversy due to its satirical and imaginative treatment of Islamic themes.
#83443
The Eleventh Hour
Essays
Salman Rushdie
'The Eleventh Hour' is a collection of five interlinked stories by Salman Rushdie, exploring themes of anger, peace, mortality, and legacy.
Each story delves into the complexities of human relationships and the challenges of navigating a world in crisis.
Rushdie's signature blend of magical realism and sharp social commentary is evident throughout the collection.
He examines the search for meaning in the face of uncertainty, the importance of human connection, and the enduring power of storytelling.
The stories showcase Rushdie's versatility as a writer and his ability to capture the nuances of the human condition.
#3461
• Mentioned in 14 episodes
Knife
Meditations After an Attempted Murder
Salman Rushdie
In 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder', Salman Rushdie provides a gripping and detailed account of the traumatic events following the knife attack on him in August 2022.
The book is a meditation on his survival, the metaphysical implications of his experience, and the purpose of writing.
Rushdie describes the horrific wounds he suffered, including the loss of his right eye, and reflects on the miraculous nature of his survival.
The memoir is characterized by its lack of self-pity, despite the immense pain and struggle Rushdie faced during his recovery.
It also touches on themes of art, pain, love, and the ongoing battle for free speech.
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Salman Rushdie, whose 17 works of fiction have been translated into over 40 languages. Salman's novels include include "Midnight’s Children" – for which he won the Booker Prize in 1981, the Booker of Bookers on the 25th anniversary of the prize, and Best of the Booker on the 40th anniversary – "Shame", "The Satanic Verses" and "The Ground Beneath her Feet". He has also written five works of non-fiction, including a memoir, "Joseph Anton", about living under a fatwa imposed in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini in response to "The Satanic Verses", and "Knife", his meditation after he was attacked on stage while giving a lecture in the US in 2022. We spoke to Salman about returning to writing after the 2022 attack, his earlier experience living under the fatwa, and his new collection of stories, "The Eleventh Hour".
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