A great starting point for students seeking an introduction to Orwell and the critical discussions surrounding his work. From his first great success with Midnight’s Children to his more recent Shalimar the Clown and Luke and the Fire of Life, Salman Rushdie has again and again proven himself to be a provocative master of tragicomedy. His pointed, humorous critiques of today’s postcolonial and cross-cultural world have garnered him numerous awards, as well as stirred controversy around the world. Edited by Bernard F. Rodgers, Jr., the Emily H. Fisher Professor of Literature at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, a member of the National Book Critics Circle and PEN, and author and editor of many essays and reviews on modern and contemporary American literature and culture (including Critical Insights: John Updike), this volume in the Critical Insights series presents a variety of new essays on this prolific and sometimes controversial writer. For readers who are studying Rushdie for the first time, a biographical sketch relates the details of his life and four essays survey the critical reception of Rushdie’s work, explore its cultural and historical contexts, situate Rushdie among his contemporaries, and review key themes in his work. Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the writer can then move on to other essays that explore topics like Rushdie’s symbolism, metaphysics, and aesthetics; his views on faith and religion; his responses to politics and the effect of social, religious and political conflicts on his own life. Works discussed include Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Shalimar The Clown, and Shame as well as his children’s books and shorter works. Contributors include Patrick Hogan, Asma Abbas, R.S. Krishnan, Mona Narain, and Harold Branam. Rounding out the volume are a chronology of Rushdie’s life and a list of his principle publications as well as a bibliography for readers seeking to study this fascinating author in greater depth.
