in the amidst of this craziness I am going through, I managed to finish the biggest challenge I undertook lately: Reading Salman Rushdi's Satanic Verses.

I bought the book 5 years ago, and it has been sitting on my shelf for all this time, waiting for me to pick it up and skim through it.
Me, being a huge fan of Rushdi's work, have always found his writing intimidating at first.. not something that you can dive into immediately.. it is hard, descriptive, detailed, full of cultural references that we might not recognize, and full of multiple character / time overlapping.. you feel the heat, the sweat through his writings, you smell spices and curry from his words, and you see the grey London sky through his chapters (god.. I miss that city)..

As the latest cartoons events took place, I remembered that a similar mess happened long time ago about this book, and I remembered that I actually bought it long time ago, only a few years after Rushdi fled to new york to hide from the Khomeini’s death sentence… so I thought, if I don't read it now.. then when will I ever?

I know that this book stirred controversy around the world, and I have to admit that even for a left-winger liberal like me, I could see why this controversial book insulted all these people.. it did show some disrespect (ok.. a lot of disrespect..) to Islam and Muslims, but I have to say also that the amount of controversy in the book is nothing compared to the amazing, mind blowing, thought provoking writing that made this book what it is.. Story telling at its best, a beautiful intersection of mythology, fantasy, surrealism, post-modern thoughts about politics and sociology.. and a beautiful depiction of the life of visible minorities in conservative cities like London, and in the west in general.. The chapters about the cultural clash of identities inside the character Saladdin Chamcha, which I could easily identify with and project on y own experience.. The chapters about the "Kahin" Ayesha who drove the people of the village to the sea leading them to their death by asking them to give her their blind faith and beliefs, a blind faith that went beyond any reasoning and logic..

all of which, although written as a fiction, can be read and seen throughout skimming through everyday's news papers and magazines..

in other words, this book is just fucking amazing.. best book I ever read in ages... I can't believe that my bus trip to work tomorrow won't be all about Saladin Chamchawala and Gibreel Farishta.. nor it would be talking about the Hot Wax Club and Shandaar Cafe, with all its estranged and weird regulars .. I am feeling nostalgic already to places I have never seen, nor will I ever see...

so.. next book: Notes from the Underground – Dostoyevsky…. Followed bye Albert Camus: L’Etranger .. we'll see what will I be reading about next week