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The Satanic Verses.
by RUSHDIE, Salman
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Viking,, 1988. A canonical title of magical realism, signed First edition, first impression, signed by the author on the title page. The furious international controversy this novel sparked has been described as "one of the most significant events in postwar literary history" (Kureishi). Rushdie, who had long been under police protection since its publication, suffered an attack over the novel in 2022. He reflects on this in Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder (2024). The New York Times spoke highly of its literary merit soon after publication: "In its entirety, it resembles only itself, but there are, in its parts, strands and shades of resemblance: to Sterne, for one, in the joys of digression; to Swift in scathingness of political satire; to the fairy and folktales of the Brothers Grimm, to Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Arabian Nights, Thomas Mann's Transposed Heads, [and more]". Octavo. Original blue boards, spine lettered in gilt. With supplied dust jacket. Tiny puncture to front cover, splash mark to rear cover and bottom edge, foxing to edges, contents clean, inner hinge starting at title page; unclipped jacket, vertical crease to sunned spine, light rubbing to edges: a very good copy in like jacket. Hanif Kureishi, "Looking back at Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses", The Guardian, 14 Sept. 2012; A. G. Mojtabai, "Magical Mystery Pilgrimage", The New York Times, 29 Jan. 1989.
Synopsis
The Satanic Verses is a novel written by Salman Rushdie, published in 1988. It weaves together multiple narratives and explores themes of identity, religion, and cultural conflict, including the idea of cultural hybridity and the ways in which individuals negotiate their identities in a multicultural world. The novel begins with a fictionalized version of the true story of the hijacking of an airplane from Bombay to London, which ends with the two main characters, Gibreel and Saladin, miraculously surviving a fall from the plane. The rest of the novel takes place in a dream-like state that turns the work into a magical realism novel. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie was criticized by many conservative groups, which defined the book as blasphemous and offensive to Islam. Rushdie was even the subject of a fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his death. Due to the controversies that led to its publication, The Satanic Verses has been banned in several countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Satanic Verses.
Reviews
On Jun 8 2011, Osmosiphobe said:
great book. i really appreciate the fluidity of rushdie's style. i read this with a group, and the major complaints from others in the group were the surreal quality and a basic ignorance of the information related to the british-indian experience. there's more to be said, but the saying of it would not do the book justice. if you're not familiar with british-indian relations and post-colonialism, get over it and check this book out.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 172664
- Title
- The Satanic Verses.
- Author
- RUSHDIE, Salman
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London: Viking,
- Date Published
- 1988
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- G
- Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
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