The Satanic Verses
Salman Rushdie · b. 1947 · India / England
Why it matters
Two men fall from an exploded jumbo jet and land as angel and devil: migration, faith, and doubt in delirious registers. The fatwa made it history; the novel beneath the noise remains his most daring.
At a glance
magical realismpostmoderncolonial & postcolonial
Difficulty 9/10slow pace561 pagesDreamlike interpolated narratives, dense theological allusion, and constantly shifting registers.
Where to go next
Salman Rushdie · 1981Midnight's ChildrenLvl 8Medium pace
Salman Rushdie · 1983ShameLvl 7Medium pace
Salman Rushdie · 1990Haroun and the Sea of StoriesLvl 2Fast paced
Salman Rushdie · 1995The Moor's Last SighLvl 7Medium pace
Arundhati Roy · 1997The God of Small ThingsLvl 7Slow burn
Gabriel García Márquez · 1967One Hundred Years of SolitudeLvl 6Medium pace