The Unknown Satanic Verses Controversy on Race and Religion

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The worldwide controversy surrounding its first publication in 1988 and concurrent death threat against its author, Salman Rushdie, paradoxically led to a narrow understanding of The Satanic Verses, which focused on whether it is insulting to Islam and whether it should be banned. And despite piecemeal attention to its epistemic intricacies by students of postcolonial literature in the aftermath, The Satanic Verses essential opacity has never been sufficiently met. The Unknown Satanic Verses Controversy on Race and Religion now responds to this gap through painstakingly detailed attention to the totality of Rushdies text. Indeed it uniquely approaches The Satanic Verses attempt to mythicize race and migration, on the one hand, and secularize religion and Islam, on the other, from a perspective informed by the perennial debate on religion and politics, esoteric or coded writing in the history of political thought, especially in times of persecution, and Islamic criticism in contemporary world literature. ner Dagliers findings accord with another layer of interpretation that emphasizes Rushdies across-the-board critique of racial prejudice, penchant for cultural eclecticism, and bitterly skeptical treatment of the foundations of Submission and proposal for feminist Islamic reform, as the antidote for entrenched misogyny, in a world where philosophy is for the rare and religion for the many. They further convey Rushdies constant preoccupation with the nature of miracles and postmodern case for intersubjectivity as a criterion for openness to their validity.

Reviews

Publication of Salman Rushdies fourth novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), caused quite a stir. The book received mostly positive reviews when published in the UK, but was quickly denounced by many Muslims as blasphemy and even resulted in a call for Rushdies death by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Daglier (postdoctoral fellow, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Univ. of Hong Kong) provides a detailed analysis of the work, reviewing not the book's quality as literature (he says it has limited artistic appeal, p. 6) but rather its significance as an analysis of religion, especially Islam. Others have focused on censorship attempts or controversies surrounding publication of The Satanic Verses. . . but have not offered in-depth of analysis of the text as religious commentary. One of the most impressive features of this volume is its extensive list of citationssimilar to what one might find in a legal treatise. . . it will be requisite scholarship for a select group. Summing Up: Essential. Graduate students, researchers, faculty.

* Choice *
"The Unknown Satanic Verses Controversy on Race and Religion is a clear and comprehensive guide for anyone wanting to understand Rushdie's complex and often-misunderstood novel." -- Steven J. Michels, Sacred Heart University
Any discussion of the relation between politics and literature sooner or later has to tackle the reception of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Yet by focusing on the controversies surrounding the novel's publication, the actual text gets forgotten. ner Daglier's book opens our eyes to the hidden qualities and complexities of Rushdie's storyworld - a fascinating journey. -- Claudia Franziska Brhwiler, University of St. Gallen

Author Bio

ner Daglier is independent scholar.