Celebrated and highly controversial British author Salman Rushdie is no stranger to the tangling of religion, politics and writing. He went into hiding for nearly a decade when an Iranian leader called for his assassination in 1989 in response to his novel The Satanic Verses. The many books he’s published since “are a testimony that intimidation and violence will not silence our basic human right of free speech,” says Samer Traboulsi, associate professor of history at UNC Asheville. The recipient of countless awards and honors, including knighthood in England for his service to literature, Rushdie will give a free and public speech titled “Public Events, Private Lives: Literature + Politics in the Modern World” at UNC Asheville’s Kimmel Arena on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. cesap.unca.edu/events/salman-rushdie. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Smart bets: Salman Rushdie
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