Summary
Overview
In this episode, the News Agents interview Sir Salman Rushdie about his new book 'The Eleventh Hour', a meditation on mortality and death. The wide-ranging conversation covers his views on the normalization of political violence, the rise of authoritarianism and shamelessness in politics, threats to free speech, the BBC's recent censorship controversies, and the changing political landscapes in America, Britain, and India. Rushdie reflects on his own near-death experience in 2022 and discusses racism, immigration, the future of reading, and artificial intelligence's limitations in creating original art.
Writing About Death and Mortality
Rushdie explains why he's chosen to write about death now, at age 77, after losing friends and experiencing his own near-fatal attack in 2022. Rather than a farewell, the book represents a playful, mischievous exploration of Act 5 of life. His close encounter with death gave him a renewed appreciation for the value of each day and an urgency not to waste time. The book draws on observations from South India, featuring elderly men who complain bitterly about everything yet remain oddly full of life.
- Rushdie is 'getting on a bit' and has started losing friends, which prompted him to think about stories of the final act
- His 2022 stabbing gave him 'a pretty close look at the end' and focused his mind on mortality
- The near-death experience made him feel 'the value of each day' and increased his urgency not to waste time
- The book is playful and mischievous rather than dark and gloomy, despite dealing with death
" I think raging is probably the way. Go out all guns blazing. "
" What it's made me feel is, don't waste your time. If you're given an extra bit of time, use it. Don't waste it. "
The Normalization of Political Violence
Rushdie draws parallels between the fatwa issued against him in 1989 and today's increasingly violent political climate. What seemed exceptional then feels less so now, with political violence becoming more frequent across democracies. He likens his experience to the first bird in Hitchcock's 'The Birds' - a portent of what was to come. The conversation touches on threats forcing people out of public life and America's gun culture making violence more likely, with more guns in private ownership than people.
- The world is more violent now than in 1989, making the fatwa against Rushdie seem less exceptional
- Rushdie likens his experience to the first bird in Hitchcock's 'The Birds' - one bird doesn't mean anything, but eventually there are hundreds
- People are leaving public life due to threats in ways that were unimaginable even a decade ago
- There are more guns in private ownership in the United States than there are people, making violence more likely
" What seemed exceptional in 1989 feels less exceptional now. "
" I sometimes felt that what happened to me was the first bird. "
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