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Joseph Anton: A Memoir

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 3,013 ratings · 623 reviews

On February 14, 1989, Valentine’s Day, Salman Rushdie received a telephone call from a BBC journalist who told the author that he had been “sentenced to death” by the Ayatollah Khomeini. It was the first time Rushdie heard the word fatwa. His crime? To have written a novel called The Satanic Verses, which was accused of being “against Islam, the Prophet, and the Quran.”

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Hardcover, 636 pages

Published September 18th 2012 by Random House (first published 2012)

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Mar 04, 2013 Petra X rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-true-story

He didn't need the publicity, he didn't need the money, he knew as a highly-educated man brought up as a Muslim, exactly what he was doing and still he did it and brought death and destruction in the wake of his book, The Satanic Verses.

It was a kind of Pyrrhic victory, being morally in the right but impossible to justify when weighed against the many deaths that resulted. Those fundamentalist Muslims were determined to enforce at least outward respect for their 'values' just as he knew they wo...more He didn't need the publicity, he didn't need the money, he knew as a highly-educated man brought up as a Muslim, exactly what he was doing and still he did it and brought death and destruction in the wake of his book, The Satanic Verses.

It was a kind of Pyrrhic victory, being morally in the right but impossible to justify when weighed against the many deaths that resulted. Those fundamentalist Muslims were determined to enforce at least outward respect for their 'values' just as he knew they would.

They were all, to a man, completely wrong. It was a book, it was a popular book, not great literature destined to live forever. So it trod on religious sensibilities, was it worth all the killings and burnings just so the perpetrators could feel they had avenged themselves, saying it was their prophet they were avenging? Islam, the word itself has the root 'peace' (the consonants SLM, salaam, shalom) yet the more fervent fundamentalist interpreters of that religion practise anything but that.

Would Mohammed himself have rejoiced or condemned all the killings just because of his depiction in such a piece of ephemera? If he would have rejoiced in all those killings, wouldn't it give anyone pause for thought that this leader might not be showing the right path through life? Or, much, much more probable, that they had (mis)interpreted Mohammed in such a violent and wicked way because that was their natures, their intentions projected on to him to justify their own disgusting actions. (view spoiler)

The book is quite a good read, Rushdie writes well and his life is not-uninteresting, but as with all his books with the possible exception of Shame, he does go on and he is so full of himself.

In the end, with the Satanic Verses, he swapped fame for notoriety and this autobiography isn't going to help put him back on his literary pedestal.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Jafar rated it 2 of 5 stars

I couldn’t get through The Satanic Verses. I found it unreadable in spite of my immense curiosity for the book. But I picked up this book with great interest to see what Rushdie went through and how he coped with the aftermath of that infamous fatwa. This book is probably twice larger than it should be, and methinks it’s commensurate with Rushdie’s ego.

I’m firmly on Rushdie’s side when it comes to the Satanic Verses saga. That evil, murderous ayatollah in Iran had no right to sentence a writer...more I couldn’t get through The Satanic Verses. I found it unreadable in spite of my immense curiosity for the book. But I picked up this book with great interest to see what Rushdie went through and how he coped with the aftermath of that infamous fatwa. This book is probably twice larger than it should be, and methinks it’s commensurate with Rushdie’s ego.

I’m firmly on Rushdie’s side when it comes to the Satanic Verses saga. That evil, murderous ayatollah in Iran had no right to sentence a writer to death. The fanatic, foaming-at-the mouth Muslim mobs were not justified in their violence. And the mainstream, nonviolent Muslims don’t have any right to demand the world of arts and literature to censor itself. Sorry, but the world doesn’t owe your god and your prophet respect and deference. Get over it.

However, to read the account of this struggle from Rushdie himself is be annoyed by the man. He comes from a Muslim background. I found his knowledge of Islam and its history and its thinkers (and classical Persian literature!) quite impressive. He knew what he was doing, and he did it. Fine. But then he goes around acting like he’s owed support and solidarity from every person and every government and every organization and every publisher. He doesn’t care that a lot of people had to go through a lot of risk and danger because of that book. He’s on the right side of the argument, dammit, and everyone should stand by him. He’s even written this memoir in third person, as if talking about some great hero standing up to the evil. He was accused by a lot of people of being ungrateful and egotistical. This book doesn’t help much to dispel those accusations. Lots of self-righteous anger and vengeful score-settling with publishers, journalists, friends, ex-wives, security personnel, politicians, etc. He does his best, but at the end he still comes off as self-centered. He can’t help it.

Rushdie is a fine writer, but I like him less as a person after reading his memoir.
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Sep 21, 2012 Amar Pai rated it 2 of 5 stars

Update 9/21/12: now that I'm reading this... it's kind of tedious. I don't think Rushdie's 3rd person affectation works well at all. It made me remember, I don't actually like Rushdie's writing all that much. Gave up on The Satanic Verses after 20 pages. I guess I got caught up in his life story and forgot about his qualities as a writer (which is ironic cos it's precisely the condition he so deplores, his literary qualities getting eclipsed by his status as a current event)

I think his crazy lif...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Christina Stind rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, 2013

As you are fighting a battle that may cost you your life, is the thing for which you are fighting worth loosing your life for? (p. 285)

So why is it that I feel I have to defend liking this book? Almost all reviews I’ve read – from New York Times to Goodreads – have been rather negative, attacking and blaming Rushdie. So I will just come right out and say that I really liked this book. Yes, he namedrops on every page. Yes, he of course paints a (mostly) positive picture of himself (but who would...more

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Oct 29, 2012 umang rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the first few chapters, I was a bit surprised at the gossipy, somewhat catty tone, and figured it would be chatty and light and fun, but alas: petty grievances aired, endless names dropped, revenge exacted for real or perceived insults of either the author's conduct or writing, ex-wives trashed. The treatment of these unfortunate women is surprisingly childish; he sounded like a preteen talking about how victimized he was by Padma Lakshmi (and his second wife). He also reveals himself to be s...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Charlie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Joseph Anton was the name Salman Rushdie took after he went into hiding when the Ayatollah Khomeini placed a fatwa on his life for writing The Satanic Verses. Salman Rushdie holds back nothing as he describes those 12 years.

Rushdie describes in detail his childhood through the time the fatwa was lifted and he was free to venture out of his home to experience the freedoms he and others fought for for so many years. My favorite part of the book was reading about where Midnights Children came from...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Krishna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Salman Rushdie once again comes with another masterpiece work of art in which he recounts dispassionately his fatwa years in hiding and many interesting ,delectable experiences after the publication of a classic Satanic Verses, tragically and stupidly banned in the country of his birth!

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Mar 11, 2013 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

For some reason, I've always enjoyed Rushdie's non-fiction more than his novels, though I did make it through Satanic Verses, the publication of which informs the content of this memoir. The victim of an infamous 10 year Iranian fatwa in the 1980's, Rushdie tells the story of both a disenfranchised outsider and the rising darling of the British literary intelligentsia, during a time when, as he notes, what authors had to say still meant something. His use of the 3rd person is distracting, but he...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Tony61 rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've never been a fan of Salman Rushdie's genre of magical realism and I've never been able to finish one of his novels, yet I found his memoir "Joseph Anton" compelling.

It's a memoir emphasizing Rushdie's plight as an object of a fatwa called by Muslim leaders and supported by the Iranian government because of his alleged disparaging portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad and his wives in the novel The Satanic Verses.

Critics have argued that Rushdie was careless and should have known that fundament...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Satish Bagal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have just finished reading memoirs of "Joseph Anton" written by Salman Rushdie and released last week. A remarkable book that is an autobiographical account of the days when the Ayatolla Khomenie issued a "Fatwah" to kill him for blasphemy of the religion and the Quran. It's a fantastic story of what hell and suffering he underwent and how he spent a long period condemned in isolation, humiliation, with death constantly hanging over his head. One wonders how strange the world of writing and th...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Sveinung rated it 3 of 5 stars

Every artist working in the West has got to be shaken by what happened to Rushdie. He tells the story best himself. Some have misconstrued his writing in the third person as some megalomanical pomposity, while it's just a useful little technique that allows the writer some distance to events that may still seem unreal. Everyone remembers the death penalty and the mullahs, what "Joseph Anton" also reminds us of is the hard time Rushdie had with Western governments who didn't want to rock diplomat...more Every artist working in the West has got to be shaken by what happened to Rushdie. He tells the story best himself. Some have misconstrued his writing in the third person as some megalomanical pomposity, while it's just a useful little technique that allows the writer some distance to events that may still seem unreal. Everyone remembers the death penalty and the mullahs, what "Joseph Anton" also reminds us of is the hard time Rushdie had with Western governments who didn't want to rock diplomatic boats by offering more than bare-bones protection for the writer. Also, because his name was so toxic, nobody wanted to publish him, and he came very close to losing his entire career. It took a very concerted effort by Rushdie himself and a small group of helpers to get through a struggle which it for a long time wasn't at all certain that he'd win.

Rushdie has been slammed for supposedly having a big ego, although I've never understood how that conception came about. He has always seemed gracious in public appearances. There are times when he acts like a prick in this book, but he calls himself out on it. (There's no way to gracefully leave your wife for a supermodel pretty much the second the bounty on your head is revoked). Maybe the active campaigning during the later years of the fatwa turned people against him, as if it was all some stupid first world problem, having to live under police protection for a decade, while translators and publishers around the world were being shot and stabbed.

Rushdie gets sublimely understated comic mileage from his dilemma, like when he has to fight FOR the screening of a Pakistani film where he as portrayed as a torturing pervert. (See excerpt elsewhere on this page). When he uses his own life as a source to do a writer's job of entertaining and informing, "Joseph Anton" is excellent, but sometimes, and especially towards the end, it becomes too much like a diary, including the minutiae of his family affairs. Of course, the balance between what's relevant and not in a book like this is hard to strike, but it has not been struck. There is a fair bit of name-dropping at the end, once Rushdie comes out of his fatwa shell and starts spending a lot of time in Los Angeles, at the arm of a narcisisstic model who is "too goddamn beautiful to leave". This section is hard to warm to. For every celebrity encounter that's funny or illuminating or whatever, there are two that are just daft.

But Rushdie only strikes a truly sour note when he insists on discussing the fatwa as some kind of first step on the road towards Sept. 11, as if that attack happened because we were too nice to people in the Middle East, instead of the opposite. We might forgive him for slight aggrandizement after his trauma. (That, and hanging out too much with Christopher Hitchens.) But the book ends with Sept. 11, and I wish it hadn't. Even a brilliant writer like Rushdie cannot transcend the "I saw the World Trade Center attack on television and was horrified" subgenre. Too soon? More like too late. (less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Georgia Roybal rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a detailed description of Salman Rushdie's life during the time he was in hiding due to the fatwa. Many of us after 9/11 can better understand what caused his life to be a nightmare. And a nightmare it was. He details his ups and downs, his tragedies and triumphs with great detail and honesty. At first I had a hard time getting used to the third person, but I really understand why he used third person: it would have been very painful to think of that as yourself. In one section, he...more This book is a detailed description of Salman Rushdie's life during the time he was in hiding due to the fatwa. Many of us after 9/11 can better understand what caused his life to be a nightmare. And a nightmare it was. He details his ups and downs, his tragedies and triumphs with great detail and honesty. At first I had a hard time getting used to the third person, but I really understand why he used third person: it would have been very painful to think of that as yourself. In one section, he chronicles one night when he couldn't get in contact with his son by telephone. I trembled along with him. Some things I can't begin to imagine: four policemen sleeping in your house for 9 years, riding constantly in bulletproof cars, maintaining any sense of normalcy for so long. In a strange way, this book was a help to me at this time in my life. I am going through personal and professional trials. The book helped me realize that it could be worse and that, eventually, it will all pass. The one thing I fault Salman Rushdie for in his suffering is sticking with a couple of his wives through different parts of it. Especially given that he hurt nicer women in the process. I think the book needs to be read by many to help us understand some of the forces that are currently holding us hostage and resulting in eroding freedoms.

Some quotes I loved:
"What was he, after all, but a huddled mass yearning to breathe free?" when in New York.

"People also suffered from a form of chosen blindness. People pretended that there was such a thing as ordinary, such a thing as normal, and that was the public fantasy, far more escapist than the most escapist fiction, inside which they cocooned themselves." This echoes feelings I have had for a long time; people waste a lot of effort and pain trying to be normal when there is no such thing. Octavio Paz opined that something as complex as human being cannot be reduced to mere statistical tendencies.

*Life was lived forward but was judged in reverse." Good thought for all of us to consider when we beat up on ourselves for our past actions.

"Rage made you the creature of those who enraged you, it gave them too much power. Rage killed the mind, and now more than ever the mind needed to live, to find a way of rising above the mindlessness." Again wonderful thoughts to help us all when we feel rage.

"All writers and readers knew that human being had broad identities, not narrow ones." and to follow the thought a little father "You could support different football teams but vote the same way. You could vote for different parties but agree about the best way to raise your children. You could disagree about child rearing but share a fear of the dark. You could be afraid of different things but love the same music. You could detest each other's musical taste but worship the same God. You could differ strongly on the question of religion but support the same football team." Again, we humans are infinitely variable, and definitely not normal.

"Great literature went to the edges of the known and pushed against the boundaries of language, form, and possibility, to make the world feel larger, wider, than before." I think this is a good description of all art.
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Nov 17, 2012 Correen rated it 4 of 5 stars

It took a commitment to finish this book but I was pleased to have done it. Rushdie's manner is sometimes arrogant and seemingly self-involved but he is wonderfully talented and unafraid to let the reader judge him. He analyzes his circumstances and his own thinking and he challenges his reader to understand Salmon's predicament. His story of threat and exile should not be lost as it is significant to our future freedom of speech and artistic expression, our quality of life and even our survival...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Vicky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have seen a number of interviews with Rushdie talking about the book and his time living as Joseph Anton. The issues he discusses are even more relevant today. I would probably give the book 3.5 stars. I found the descriptions of his many moves slow going after awhile. For me the most interesting aspects of the book were the behind the scenes political moves and disturbingly the number of writers and newspapers who did not come to the support of either him or The Santanic Verses. The many year...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Ali Ganjei rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

جوزف آنتون اسم مستعار سلمان رشدی بوده بعد از فتوا، وقتی که زندگی مخفی داشته. تیم حفاظت اونو به این اسم صدا می‌کردن که یه دفه اشتباها توی زندگی خصوصی‌شون اسم اصلی‌ش رو به کار نبرن و باعث نشن که موقعیتش لو بره.

اول پیشنهاد کرده که اسمم رو بذارید »عجیب معمولی» که تیم محافظت قبول نکردن و بعد این اسم رو از ترکیب اسم‌های کوچیک کنراد و چخوف ساخته. خیلی هم شاکی بوده که محافظا صداش می‌کردن جو.

کتاب خیلی طولانی‌ایه که تقریبا یک چهارم اولش برای من خوندنی و جذاب بود ولی بعد به سرعت خسته کننده و کسالت‌آور شد.

ا...more جوزف آنتون اسم مستعار سلمان رشدی بوده بعد از فتوا، وقتی که زندگی مخفی داشته. تیم حفاظت اونو به این اسم صدا می‌کردن که یه دفه اشتباها توی زندگی خصوصی‌شون اسم اصلی‌ش رو به کار نبرن و باعث نشن که موقعیتش لو بره.

اول پیشنهاد کرده که اسمم رو بذارید »عجیب معمولی» که تیم محافظت قبول نکردن و بعد این اسم رو از ترکیب اسم‌های کوچیک کنراد و چخوف ساخته. خیلی هم شاکی بوده که محافظا صداش می‌کردن جو.

کتاب خیلی طولانی‌ایه که تقریبا یک چهارم اولش برای من خوندنی و جذاب بود ولی بعد به سرعت خسته کننده و کسالت‌آور شد.

این طور که من برداشت کردم، ظاهرا افکار عمومی انگلیس به قضیه آیات شیطانی و فتوای قتل اینطور واکنش نشون دادن که در عین حال که خیلی شاکی شدن از ایران به خاطر فتوا، در عین حال علاقه‌ای هم به رشدی نداشتن و فکر می‌کرده‌ن نباید به اسلام/مسلمونا توهین می‌کرده و لابد این کار رو برای جلب توجه، مشهور شدن یا فروش بیشتر کتابش انجام داده و حالا که کرده باید معذرت بخواد و آتیش رو بخوابونه وگرنه دلیلی نداره که مالیات‌دهنده‌ها خرج گزاف محافظت از رشدی رو بدن.

حالا رشدی خیلی توی این کتاب تقلا می‌کنه که به مخاطب انگلیسی‌ش بگه که نه من اون انگیزه‌هایی که شما فکر می‌کنید رو نداشتم و حفاظت از من هم یه حفاظت خیلی از سر اکراه و با حداقل بودجه‌ی ممکن بوده که خرجی از جیب مالیات دهنده‌های انگلیس نشده به اون صورت.

از طرف دیگه فکر می‌کنم یه هدف از نوشتن کتاب هم تشکر و قدردانی از دوستان و آشنایان بوده و برای همین تک‌تک مهمونی‌ها و مجالسی که توی مدت زندگی مخفی رفته رو با ذکر نام تک‌تک حاضرین و شرح خلاصه حرف‌هایی که گفته و شنیده شده شرح می‌ده و یکی از چیزایی که کتاب رو بطور غیر قابل تحملی خسته‌کننده می‌کنه همینه

و البته هر کس که در طول این سال‌ها خرده‌ای گرفته به آقای رشدی برای نوشتن آیات، توی این کتاب توی فهرست بدها گنجونده شده.

برای من شرحی که از بگومگو ها و درگیری‌های سر کتاب قبل و بعد از فتوا داده جالب بود. گهگاهی که اسم میاورد از سیاست‌مدارای ایرانی موضوع هیجان‌انگیزتر می‌شد و کلا خیلی خوشم اومد از تیم سیاست خارجی دولت خاتمی که چطور مساله رو بدون اینکه باجی بدن ماستمالی کردن.

علاوه بر اون روایت رشدی از مهاجرتش، مشکلاتی که توی مدرسه داشته، روابطش با پدرش و اعضای خانواده‌ش، زندگی خانوادگی پر فراز و نشیبش توی انگلیس (چهار بار ازدواج کرده) و شرحی که درباره پروسه‌ی نوشته شدن کتاب‌هاش میده، برای من خوندنی بود

در مجموع برداشتم از کتاب اینه که سلمان رشدی، کاری ندارم که چه جور نویسنده‌ایه، ولی خیلی شخصیت مزخرف و نچسبی داره
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Nov 02, 2012 J. rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: secret celebrities

Shelves: memoir

… a reception at Tina Brown’s house, where he found himself standing in a small circle of guests whose other members were Martin Amis, Martin Scorsese, David Bowie, Iman, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart and Jerry Seinfeld…

For some reason this seemed like it would be an unnerving and paranoiac modernist turn on memoir-writing, with some swashbuckling-special-branch derring-do on the side. In the end you know a lot more about a typically fretful middle-aged writer and not so much about the extr...more

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Bhibsen "First and most ship-sinkingly, Mr. Rushdie uses this occasion to settle scores, to talk back, to set the record straight according to his lights"

I th...more
Feb 26, 2013 04:08am

J. Careful analysis of the fatwa ordeal is one thing, but not what I'm referring to. Rushdie's periodic inclusion of 'what I'd tell them now' taunts-- (t...more
Feb 26, 2013 07:40am

Hal Brodsky J. Could not agree more. Rushdie came across in this book as a total ass.
Apr 21, 2013 07:22pm

Oct 09, 2012 Ibrahim rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature, biography

The book is written in the third person, as if he is writing a novel about a hero he admires but the cover on the outside said "memoir". Why didn't Salman put it all in the mould of an autobiography instead of writing as if he is writing another novel? It is tedious and boring. If I was not particularly interested in Salman for his stand against Islamic oppression, I would never have taken interest in that book. I have vested interested and I keep pushing myself to read about the "man" that he i...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Lorraine Seigel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Salman Rushdie's memoir of his time in hiding during the Ayatollah's fatwa started out very promising - a real life cloak and dagger story! - but became just as tedious as his life probably was during that long, 13 year period. There was a lot of name-dropping of well-known authors, actors and politicians, some who supported him and some who resented him, and a lot of ruminating about the importance of his own work. I skipped a lot of pages just to get through the book. Really can't recommend it...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Bettie, Carey, Wanda, Hayes

Shelves: audio-books, non-fiction, memoir-biography, read-2012

Book of the Week

From BBC Radio 4:
Five extracts from the autobiography of Salman Rushdie, abridged by Katrin Williams

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Apr 22, 2013 Nirmal rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is memoirs of Rushdie’s Fatwa years. It shows his life in hiding and its overall evolution. Also gives candid glimpses of his personal life. At the beginning of Fatwa (14th Feb 89) he was married to Marianne Wiggins/Moore (American poet/novelist) however their marriage was at the rock-bottom. In the initial days of Fatwa they continued to live together but with variable degrees of success.

On the whole it is a candid portrayal of writer’s life during the fatwa years. Mr Rushdie is talented...more This is memoirs of Rushdie’s Fatwa years. It shows his life in hiding and its overall evolution. Also gives candid glimpses of his personal life. At the beginning of Fatwa (14th Feb 89) he was married to Marianne Wiggins/Moore (American poet/novelist) however their marriage was at the rock-bottom. In the initial days of Fatwa they continued to live together but with variable degrees of success.

On the whole it is a candid portrayal of writer’s life during the fatwa years. Mr Rushdie is talented and well and widely read and has lived a colorful life. He grew up in Bombay till the age of 13. Then He was sent to England to study at the Rugby school. While he was in London family migrated to Pakistan. He never found the reason for their migration and never took a Pakistani identity. Infact in later years he reclaimed his indian identity with a great vigour. Famous sisters Zohra & Uzra are also related to him in some ways.

His first marriage was to Clarissa with whom he had a son Zafar. Their marriage lasted for about 10 years. Mr Rushdie was suffering with a rare chromosome problem which reduces chances of having a baby as it increases the chance of miscarriage. Clarissa had a miscarriage which kind of shattered. They were lucky next time with Zafar. Clarissa wanted more babies but he was less willing due the known chromosomal problem. This created a rift which was further aggravated by Salman’s infidelities, which were only started when their marriage started to crack.

His second marriage was to American poet Marianne Wiggins Moore. Fatwa happened during this second marriage time. They pulled together for 1-2 years and eventually he separated from her.

Then came Elizabeth in his life. She took great care of him during fatwa years. But his plan to migrate to America did not go well with her. They had a child Milan. Elizabeth wanted more babies but he was not particularly keen. But since Liz wanted more kids, They tried a second time but no luck. Eventually he divorced Liz and migrated to NY where he was already having an affair with half indian model Padma who had a highly desirable body. But it lasted only few years and eventually Padma dumped Salman.

Now a days he is having good relations with his ex-wives Clarissa and Liz and their sons Zafar and Milan. Whereas his marriages with Marianne/Padma has been unsuccessful and can be termed as break-up stories.

Most of the book is interesting , insightful and candid. There are occasions when unceasing description of the protection team, security and all the related stuff wears you out and you prefer to skip or rush thru some of the paragraphs. But for these occasional hardships the book is rewarding and gives a great deal of information about its author and his beliefs and thought processes.(less)

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Apr 20, 2013 Tyler Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writers-and-writing

While I appreciate the honesty Rushdie shows in this book - his willingness to speak forthrightly about those he feels have wronged him - he comes off as more than a little hypocritical at times. My two favourite examples: He mocks Delia Smith for refering to herself in the third person during a book award acceptance speech, but has here written a 600 page biography in wich he refers to himeslef in the third person throughout, and then he mocks John le Carre for "letting his friends do his fight...more While I appreciate the honesty Rushdie shows in this book - his willingness to speak forthrightly about those he feels have wronged him - he comes off as more than a little hypocritical at times. My two favourite examples: He mocks Delia Smith for refering to herself in the third person during a book award acceptance speech, but has here written a 600 page biography in wich he refers to himeslef in the third person throughout, and then he mocks John le Carre for "letting his friends do his fighting for him" during a public letter-writting spat in the British newspapers, but does so only after Christopher Hitchens had already come to his own defence. But still it is possible to like the book while have some doubts about the character of the author.

I believe Rushdie is firmly in the right on the most basic question - that human rights and freedoms are more important than the pride of religious fanatics who demand respect or death. He is very eloquent on this issue and to forget that because of his mistreatment of his wives or his petty calling-out of everyone who has ever said anything bad about him is to lose sight of the most important issue.

Rushdie does makes it pretty easy for the reader to give up on him. The recounting of every vacation, every book reading, every literary festival and every cocktail party for about ten years ....it gets to be a bit of a slog. Perhaps Rushdie is trying to give the reader a sense of the tedium that his life under the fatwa became, but it is still tedious nonetheless. It is somewhat funny that in the book Rushdie tells the story of the clergyman who gave long sermons because he was too lazy to write short ones. This is exactly the mistake Rushdie makes - all the urgency and vitality of his very important story is watered down by long passages discribing the over-the-top security of the French police, the Chilian Police, the Indian Police, etc., and pages that amount to little more than personal grudge settling. It would have been much better at around 400 pages.

And the third person thing didn't work. When Rushdie was writing a scene in which both himself and another male were present, it was sometimes confusing to try to figure out which "he" he was and which "he" he wasn't.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 K.M. Soehnlein rated it 4 of 5 stars

For anyone who has ever imagined that all publicity is good publicity, Salman Rushdie’s memoir, "Joseph Anton" will put that illusion to rest. Rushdie was already a Booker Prize-winning author in England when his novel "The Satanic Verses" was declared by the fundamentalist government of Iran to be “against Islam.” The dying Ayatollah Khomeini declared that “all those involved in its publication…are sentenced to death,” and over the years that followed, people (translators, editors, protestors)...more For anyone who has ever imagined that all publicity is good publicity, Salman Rushdie’s memoir, "Joseph Anton" will put that illusion to rest. Rushdie was already a Booker Prize-winning author in England when his novel "The Satanic Verses" was declared by the fundamentalist government of Iran to be “against Islam.” The dying Ayatollah Khomeini declared that “all those involved in its publication…are sentenced to death,” and over the years that followed, people (translators, editors, protestors) would be injured and assassinated. Rushdie went immediately into protection from the Special Branch of the British police, and for the next decade, he more or less stayed there—an existence that was less a protective enclave than, as he tells it, a form of house arrest.

"Joseph Anton" is a long, detailed account of Rushdie’s life from the day the fatwa was decreed until the moment, fourteen years later, when police protection ended. (The book’s title comes from the alias Rushdie used during those years; he writes in the third person, as if “Joseph Anton” is a character he’s created.) Its earliest pages are filled with gripping suspense, cloak and dagger police-work and back-channel diplomatic strategizing. There are many pit-in-the-stomach depictions of what it means to fear for your life because a novel you’ve written has been turned into a political weapon by the enemies of art.

Rushdie’s years moving among secret addresses, while his friends and colleagues in the publishing industry worked to reverse the Iranian death-decree, makes for unsettling reading. He fears for the safety of his young son; his unstable marriage to an unstable woman falls apart; he meets someone new and tries to figure out how to start a relationship while living with police under his roof. As the shock of the fatwa deflates into the new normal, the novelty of the story flattens out. Rushdie-the-author recognizes this, noting that the “unchangingness” of his situation became “dull.” Though he was at first denied a voice in his own defense—the government asked him to say nothing so as not to inflame his enemies—he eventually finds a way to “become a loud and visible man.” The book shifts gears as he insists on claiming what freedom he can by showing up unannounced at literary events, trying to ignite support, and writing essays to keep up the pressure to end the situation.

For me, as upsetting as the hate spewed by fundamentalists was the cowardice and bullying from those who should have been Rushdie’s allies: other writers who scolded him in public, media outlets who demonized him (he refers to them collectively as The Daily Insult), and representatives of democratic governments who speak out against the author or simply fail to support him, treating him not as a man but as a political problem.

Rushdie seems to want to get everything that happened during those years into print, to document his life after years of being defined by others; as such, "Joseph Anton" lags and becomes overly episodic. As his cause is adopted by the global literary establishment, he becomes an international celebrity, and the book’s later pages are marked by cringe-inducing name-dropping and a tendency to enact revenge upon those who wronged him, even briefly and in passing. His marriage to the model Padma Lakshmi, chronicled late in the book, is a sordid bit of business, tastelessly presented by the author (he refers to her as “the Illusion” and mocks her superficiality, though he himself is obsessed with her looks).

Still, this strikes me as an important book, revealing much about the crisis-mindset of international politics and the shaky position of literature in its midst. The story ends after 9/11, with Rushdie noting that “his little battle” was “prologue” to the “main event.” Rushdie’s sentences are always precise, vivid and persuasive, and at its best "Joseph Anton" is an heroic, full-throated defense of literature, free speech and the artistic imagination. We could all learn a bit from him about what it means to stand up for yourself and your ideals. I came away from this resolved to meet the world a little more bravely.
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Mar 31, 2013 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2013-audio

Joseph Anton, by Salman Rushdie, prologue narrated by the author, and the rest of the book by Sam Bastor, Produced by random House audio, Downloaded from audible.com.

This is Salman Rushdie’s memoir of the 13 years he lived underground. A fatwa was put on him by Ayatollah Khomeini on February 14, 1989. He wrote a book entitled “Satanic Verses” which the Iranian government decided was directly an insult to the religion and to Mohammed himself. Not only did they state that he would be killed-they p...more Joseph Anton, by Salman Rushdie, prologue narrated by the author, and the rest of the book by Sam Bastor, Produced by random House audio, Downloaded from audible.com.

This is Salman Rushdie’s memoir of the 13 years he lived underground. A fatwa was put on him by Ayatollah Khomeini on February 14, 1989. He wrote a book entitled “Satanic Verses” which the Iranian government decided was directly an insult to the religion and to Mohammed himself. Not only did they state that he would be killed-they put a bounty on his head. For 13 years he moved from house to house, always staying private, having a police guard living with him at British expense for most of that time. Through the help of his wonderful friend authors, who understood how dangerous it was for someone to be put under threat of death for what they wrote, he moved from house to house. During this time, he raised one son to adulthood and went through teenage years with him, was present at the death of the mother of his son, married Elizabeth, had a child with her, and then divorced her as well. He and his family were not touched during this time, mainly because of the police protection from Scotland Yard, but two publishers of the book from other countries, publishers who published his book in another language, both were attacked and one was murdered. He had to fight against the depression of not having his life be his own, but also trying to walk a line between having some protection and not being smothered by it. As far as I can tell, the fatwa was never actually lifted. It just sort of faded out, especially after 9/11, and finally Scotland Yard withdrew the protection. But between 1989 and 2002 he had to worry all the time about he and his family being murdered or hurt. It’s quite good. He could be irritating at times, but the story of surviving that kind of harassment for that length of time is truly amazing. And now I’ll have to read “Satanic Verses”. He went under the name Joseph Anton for that whole time, which Scotland Yard shortened to “Joe” and which he hated. I especially enjoyed his comments about the other famous authors he knew. He cited conversations and incidents that were quite entertaining to think about.
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Mar 31, 2013 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, art, england, india, islam, race, 50books_poc2013

Joseph Anton is a deeply compelling book. A memoir of Salman Rushdie's life under police protection after a fatwa was issued against him by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran in 1989, the book is an easy (if lengthy) read. Much of that readability can be put down to Rushdie's choice to narrate his life in the third person, giving the memoir the appearance of a novel. Events which are (at least somewhat) become a mystery to unravel; the point at which the fatwa would be lifted becomes unpredictable.

Else...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Sheila rated it 3 of 5 stars

As I read this memoir, I was reminded of Paul Theroux's Sir Vidia's Shadow - a memoir/biography that purports to be from a friend but serves to make Sir Vidia (Naipaul) to look a complete scoundrel. Rushdie's use of the third person, writing about himself as a detached character, has a similar effect. The fact that he is writing about himself makes it all the more ironic.

While I found fascinating and informative the parts that showed his political and ethical struggles with the bizarre Kafkaesqu...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very different book for Salman Rushdie! None of the fantastic flights of imagination that we have come to expect - or the riveting tale told, as in 'The Empress of Florence,' the last Rushdie book I loved. I must confess, like most of the world I never finished 'The Satanic Verses.' Partly because I started reading it in 1989 - with a toddler who didn't believe in sleeping, a new job and a falling down house. My powers of concentration were nil. 24 years later, I no longer have an exc...more This was a very different book for Salman Rushdie! None of the fantastic flights of imagination that we have come to expect - or the riveting tale told, as in 'The Empress of Florence,' the last Rushdie book I loved. I must confess, like most of the world I never finished 'The Satanic Verses.' Partly because I started reading it in 1989 - with a toddler who didn't believe in sleeping, a new job and a falling down house. My powers of concentration were nil. 24 years later, I no longer have an excuse, except that as I read it I keep thinking I'm missing some literary allusion - if only I were better educated in Islam!, myth!, classical literature! maybe I would enjoy it more.
Who wants to read a book that makes you feel like a loser? That's why there's a lot to like about 'Joseph Anton.' That poor sap. What a mess he landed in - pretty much no matter how bad your life is it's better than the prison he found himself in. Honestly, if it were I, I don't think I would ever really feel secure. If a gazillion crazed fundamentalists are out to kill you, wouldn't you figure that at least a couple dozen of them might never get the message that "fatwa's been called off?"
One can hardly blame him for writing arch nastygrams in his head to all sorts of enemies, or ditching his longsuffering wife and baby for the pulchritude of Padma Lakshmi. It must have been a heady moment for the admittedly unpopular public school boy to have Warren Beatty keep repeating, "Your woman is so beautiful it makes me want to faint." Who can blame the guy? Life is short - eat dessert every chance you can!
Since I love memoirs, this was the easiest Rushdie book to read, a page turner. I kept thinking, 'wow - it's going to be interesting when we get to 9/11 and everyone realizes the world is full of crazies and they are after ALL OF US, not just that 'bastard Rushdie in a wig (great line).' If your book club wants to read this you could have all kinds of great debates about freedom of speech. Personally, I just enjoyed being a voyuer on a very strange historical incident.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think my expectations were set too high when I first read about and borrowed this book. I wanted to like it, I really did. It's an interesting story after all--almost 20 years ago, before the dawn of the internet and cell phones in every home, a fatwa was issued against Rushdie. The British government then restricted him for being around his own home or family or friends, and he began the years of constant struggle to stay a step ahead of the extremists. Including the assuming of the moniker J...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Aron rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have only read one book by Rushdie, thus far - The Enchantress of Florence. I loved that book with all it's flaws. Rushdie can be a rambling writer. The same can be said about this one. Sure it needed to be edited better. The worst part of the book is the third person affectation. But it was anything but boring. I finished this book in less than a week. Whatever it's flaws, he is a compelling and engrossing writer.

True, I could have done with wit less information about his marital woes. Sure,...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Polly Trout rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rushdie's memoir of being forced into hiding for nine years after a being threatened with death by a fatwa for his novel "The Satanic Verses" is beautifully written, a fascinating story, and historically important. At 636 pages, it would have been a better book if it had been shortened considerably by a good editor. Also, I think it would have been a better book if Rushdie had been slightly less obsessed with his own story, and slightly more capable of framing his experiences in the larger socia...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jb rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first experience reading an autobiography written in the third person. At times, when author mentions a male friend, I often had to pause to straighten out in my head which “he” Rushdie was subsequently referring to. Most of the book is about his experience as a “prisoner” of Scotland Yard’s protection service following Ayatollah Khomeini’s assassination edict (fatwa) on his life following publication of the novel The Satanic Verses. He chaffed under restrictions of movement and conf...more

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About Salman Rushdie

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is a novelist and essayist. Much of his early fiction is set at least partly on the Indian subcontinent. His style is often classified as magical realism, while a dominant theme of his work is the story of the many connections, disruptions and migrations between the Eastern and Western world.

His fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, led to protests from Muslims in several coun...more

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