Essays and Criticism 1981-1991
A collection of 75 essays that illuminate the culture of his times, and of ours
Drawing from two political and several literary homelands, this collection presents a remarkable series of trenchant essays, demonstrating the full range and force of Salman Rushdie’s remarkable imaginative and observational powers.
With candour, eloquence and indignation he carefully examines an expanse of topics; including the politics of India and Pakistan, censorship, the Labour Party, Palestinian identity, contemporary film and late-twentieth century race, religion and politics. Elsewhere he trains his eye on literature and fellow writers, from Julian Barnes on love to the politics of George Orwell’s ‘Inside the Whale’, providing fresh insight on Kipling, V.S. Naipaul, Graham Greene, John le Carré, Raymond Carver, Philip Roth and Thomas Pynchon among others.
Profound, passionate and insightful, Imaginary Homelands is a masterful collection from one of the greatest writers working today.
“A book bristling with intelligence, deeply held opinions, and wonderful flights of fancy”
The Boston Globe
“Playful profound and provocative...Rushdie is never less than instructive. He holds nothing back”
New York Newsday
“A deft, various, and humane collection”
Christopher Hitchens, Independent
“There is fine commentary here”
Christopher Hirst, Independent
“Read every page of this book. Better still, reread them. How literature of the highest order can serve the interests of our common humanity is freshly illustrated here: a defense of his past, a promise for the future, and a surrender to nobody or nothing whatever except his all-powerful imagination”
Michael Foot