ONE OF THE AUTHOR'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL AND ENDURING WORKS

Rushdie, Salman ~ The Satanic Verses : Signed by the Author

Viking, London : 1988

The First UK printing published by Viking, London in 1988 with a full number line 1-10. The BOOK is in near Fine condition. Original publisher's navy blue boards, backstrip lettered in gilt with Viking device to the foot. A hint of pushing at the upper spine tip. Binding tight and internally clean. The WRAPPER is complete and is in equally near Fine condition. The wrapper design features a vignette taken from 'Rustam Killing the White Demon' (courtesy of the V&A museum). There is no fading of colour to the spine and the red titling remains unfaded and bright. Extremely scarce to find the wrapper in such excellent condition. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. This copy has been signed( without dedication) by the author to the title page. A copy of the photo of the signing event (6/10/05)accompanies this book as provenance. A 'Booker Prize Shortlist' bookmark is also loosely inserted. The Satanic Verses was shortlisted in the year of publication, narrowly losing to Peter Carey's 'Oscar and Lucinda'. An infamous novel, 'The Satanic Verses' was Rushdie’s fourth book, and was based on a group of Quranic verses about three pagan Meccan goddesses; Allāt, Al-Uzza, and Manāt. As with his other works, the style relies on a combination of magical realism and real-life events, with the central plot prolifically studded with a series of sub-plots narrated as visions from dreams. In the main narrative, the two protagonists board a plane hijacked by Sikh separatists, but when the bomb is detonated over the English channel, both survive, magically transformed into the archangel Gabriel and the devil, respectively. Perhaps the most striking of the subplots is that of Ayesha, who claims to be receiving revelations from the Archangel Gabriel and who leads her village on a pilgrimage to the Arabian Sea. As well as the Booker Prize, The Satanic Verses also won the Whitbread Award for novel of the year, although it was quickly overshadowed by its controversy. In 1989, Supreme Leader of Iran Ruhollah Khomeini declared a fatwa against Rushdie, and the resulting assassination attempts led to the author being granted police protection by the UK government. In 1991, Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi was stabbed to death as a result of his association with the work, and assassination attempts continue today, with an attempt on Rushdie’s life in August 2022 leading to him losing sight in one eye, as well as the use of one hand. Accompanying this book is the small 22 page booklet by the author, 'In Good Faith', which was a response to the controversy regarding 'The Satanic Verses'. This booklet is in fine condition. A very sharp copy of the Booker Prize winning author's key title and increasingly elusive to find in this condition.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Near Fine