Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991

Rushdie, Salman

ISBN 10: 0670839523 / ISBN 13: 9780670839520

Published by Granta Books, U.S.A., 1991

About this Item

NF / VG+. Numbering sequence denotes 1st Printing of the 1991 Granta stated 1st US Edition thus. Book is straight, square, tightly and evenly bound and free of gutter creasing, markings and blemishes; Cover is clean and bright, with sharp corners and joints, straight headcap, tail, spine, hinges and edges, boldly legible lettering and crisply distinct design. Dust Jacket is unclipped (reflecting original USD $24.95 price and 0591 date) and similarly clean and bright (despite faint hint of interior age toning and light rubbing to panels), with crisply presented lettering, artwork and Author image. (Please see Seller images.) ISBN 0670839523. ShiroBooks, independent bookseller, takes pride in accurate descriptions, careful wrapping and safe shipping. ADDITIONAL CHARGE (DUE TO APPROX 2.25# SHIPPING WEIGHT) MAY APPLY IF SHIPPED OUTSIDE CONTINENTAL US; CONTACT SHIROBOOKS PRIOR TO ORDERING or for more information, details or photos.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991
• Publisher: Granta Books, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670839523
• ISBN 13: 9780670839520
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good Plus

About this title

Synopsis

Seventy-five essays cover a decade in Rushdie's life, on such topics as literature, politics, prejudice, imagination, and free expression, as well as the events that forced him into seclusion

Reviews

Rushdie calls his controversial novel The Satanic Verses "a migrant's-eye view of the world," and indeed the theme of cultural transplantation informs many of the 75 essays and reviews gathered in this impressive collection. Whether he is analyzing racial prejudice in Britain or surveying an India riven by fundamentalism and politics of religious hatred, he writes as an impartial observer, a citizen of the world. Subtle and witty, these concise, eloquent pieces are a pleasure to read. Rushdie's wide-ranging sympathies range from Grace Paley's stories to Thomas Pynchon's political allegories. He situates such writers as Gunter Grass, John le Carre and Mario Vargas Llosa in a political context. Along with a devastating review of the movie Gandhi and a withering portrayal of Margaret Thatcher's class-ridden, jingoist Britain, there are two resounding replies (both written last year) to critics of The Satanic Verses : Rushdie explains the book's intentions and defends the freedom of the writer.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The 75 articles collected here, many of them book reviews, range widely over literary, political, and religious themes. Among the topics covered are racism in Great Britain, the existence of a Commonwealth literature, and the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Books reviewed include works by Saul Bellow, V.S. Naipaul, Nadine Gordimer, Italo Calvino, Heinrich Boll, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Underlying much of his work--and lending it some unity--is Rushdie's concern with migration and nationality, with celebrating difference and freedom of expression over orthodoxy and conformity. Two essays in the concluding section, "In Good Faith" and "Why I Have Embraced Islam," speak directly to the author's plight as a result of his publication of The Satanic Verses . Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
- William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.