THE SATANIC VERSES

Sinopsis de THE SATANIC VERSES

The Satanic Verses, magic realist epic novel by British Indian writer Salman Rushdie that upon its publication in 1988 became one of the most controversial books in recent times. Its fanciful and satiric use of Islam struck many Muslims as blasphemous, and Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against the author in 1989, enjoining Muslims to kill not only Rushdie but also his editors and publishers. Violent demonstrations followed in Pakistan; copies of the novel were burned in Britain, where several bookstores were bombed; and the work was banned in several countries.  Rushdie, Sir SalmanSir Salman Rushdie, 2008.Cate Gillon—Getty Images/Thinkstock  Summary The complex and multilayered plot focuses on two protagonists, both Indian Muslims living in England. Gibreel Farishta is a successful film actor who has suffered a recent bout of mental illness and who is in love with an English mountain climber, Alleluia Cone. Saladin Chamcha is a voice actor who has had a falling out with his father. Gibreel and Saladin meet on a flight from Bombay (Mumbai) to London, and the plane is hijacked by Sikh terrorists. During an argument the terrorists accidently detonate a bomb, destroying the aircraft over the English Channel. The book opens with Gibreel and Saladin, the sole survivors, falling into the Atlantic Ocean.