Questions About East, West

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In Yorick there a reference to papersmith. I believe this must be someone who has either manufactures vellum, paper or.. I don't know as this papersmith is nowhere to be found. Does anybody know?

Stelleri I don't find it in online dictionaries, so it may well be one of Rushdie's neologisms, which are abundant in the story. …moreI don't find it in online dictionaries, so it may well be one of Rushdie's neologisms, which are abundant in the story. (less)

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I haven't read a Rushdie before. Where do I start? Can anyone tell me what is a good book to begin with?

Asher East, West is really good if you want a shorter, more manageable taste of Rushdie in all his forms of genius, so that is one option. However, one cann…moreEast, West is really good if you want a shorter, more manageable taste of Rushdie in all his forms of genius, so that is one option. However, one cannot talk about Sir Salman without mentioning Midnight's Children. In my opinion it is one of the greatest novel's ever written, forged from beauty and profundity, it is a book I most highly recommend. However, it is very much jumping in at the deep end. The book I would probably say is best to start with is The Moor's Last Sigh. It has some similarities to Midnight's Children, however it is more readable, yet still has all the classic Rushdie charm. One wild-card you could start with is Haroun And The Sea Of Stories. It is quite different to his other works as it was dedicated to his son. I think it is often under appreciated due to its simplicity, however, in my opinion it is one of his best. The only thing I will say is that if you start with Haroun and don't like it, don't give up on Rushdie as Haroun is a bit different and he has a lot more to offer.(less)

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Regarding 'The prophet's hair' Can someone explain this story to me of what the author might tried to convey? Thanks already.

Mystic Milk Just my idea, but it's kind of a hilarious story that reads like an old-school fairy tale because the holy hair clearly has a mind of its own! The mon…moreJust my idea, but it's kind of a hilarious story that reads like an old-school fairy tale because the holy hair clearly has a mind of its own! The moneylender/father is not a nice dude and takes the hair for himself despite knowing that it was stolen from the temple. The hair, which is pretty terrifying, then sets about making right of things (by getting rid of all the bad guys basically, and performing various miracles of healing on others). But this is interpreted/experienced as traumatic by people involved because their twisted perspectives don't allow them to discern good/bad appropriately for the most part.(less)

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