The Satanic Verses
by Salman Rushdie · first published 1988
26% recommend70% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Dense, richly written novel that rewards rereading; fans compare it to Nabokov, Pynchon and Bulgakov. Suits readers who enjoy ambitious literary fiction, and who see it as lasting work and not a hateful book.
Common criticism: Some find the dense prose more about linguistic display than story
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published September 26, 1988 and inspired in part by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the satanic verses, a group of Quranic verses that refer to three pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Uzza, and Manāt. The part of the story that deals with the "satanic verses" was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari. In the United Kingdom, The Satanic Verses received posi
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Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdi Old Man and the Sea - Hemingway
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗…every time. Amazing book though. I just...can't seem to finish it. Eco and Rushdie are my two biggest heroes. Now Rushdie's books, them I've read thrice for almost all of them. Except the much-hated Satanic Verses, which I've read twice that many times. It gets better every time its read.
on “Why reading a book 100 times is a great idea” ↗Salman Rushdie all the way! My favorite is satanic verses, by far. Midnight's children is his most popular work though. For both books, having even a basic knowledge of Indian history would make the experience much better. The ground beneath her feet is incredible…
on “The Desk of Haruki Murakami” ↗This tension and trick lies at the crux of Salman Rushdie's book "The Satanic Verses" - a global bestseller and one of my all-time favorites; the situation must not be all that uncommon. I think you'd enjoy reading it if this is the way you think.
on “A New Look Inside Theranos’ Dysfunctional Corporate Culture” ↗…the left, especially in Rushdie's hayday of the 80s-00s. If there was, I doubt it would've spent much time worrying about the fate of a bourgeoisie fantasist. Nothing against Rushdie btw. I loved the Satanic Verses. But institutional journalism (which provides the fundamental model most people use to understand Anglo politics) has conflated the terms left and liberal. And while I respect the drift of language as…
on “Speech is violence? Not if we want a liberal, intellectual society” ↗Both Grimus and Midnight's Children are great. The Satanic Verses is worth a read but not before the first two IMO.
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗…personally recommend for someone new to Nabokov would be any of Despair, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, or Transparent Things. If you like Nabokov, you may also want to try: Rushdie, Salman - The Satanic Verses Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Some authors and a rec or two for each. DFW - Infinite Jest Pynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow. Rushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones. Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon Gaddis - JR, hence my name. Heller - Catch-22
on “Ask HN: What are some good books?” ↗1. Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. 2. The Satanic Verses by Rushdie. (It felt like these two books have something in common.)
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗We do criticize them. A lot. But there are certain boundaries where people get scared. Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses is the key example. Many refuse to translate it. It used to take courage for book stores to sell it. It’s a bit weird how this became the cause for religious extemists. It’s not a hateful book. It received…
…had stories that were relevant to people at the time, and gripped them. I doubt if in a hundred years people will still be reading the Da Vinci Code - but I can guarantee books like Infinite Jest, The Satanic Verses, Nights at the Circus, and the like will be attracting critical attention.
on “So You Want To Be A Writer? That’s Mistake #1” ↗I don't count my rereading, but for good books, once is never enough. When I got the the end of "Satanic Verses" for the first time, I was so taken, I started it again the very next day. Similar with "Against the Day". If I had to guess, the most rereads I've done is ~20-30 rereads of "Cats Cradle". Part of…
on “Why reading a book 100 times is a great idea” ↗…reading important and banned books like Mein Kampf, Das Kapital, The Bible, The Quran, The Communist Manifesto, Heart of Darkness, Brave New World, Catch-22, Crime and Punishment, Howl, Fahrenheit 451, The Satanic Verses, Ulysses, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and so on. Especially important is to re-read them every 10-20 years, because your outlook on life will change with the seasons of life, you will find these works appear different…
on “Ask HN: Are books worth it?” ↗…were originally envisioned: anti-American protesters, French-Canadian nationalists, a film sympathetic to South Africa's Nelson Mandela, a pro-Zionist book, a Jewish community leader, Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, and even a couple years ago, a pro-Israeli speaker was briefed about the anti-hate law by a police detective before he went in to make a speech." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Human_Rights_Commissio...
on “The Slow and Painful Death of Freedom in Canada” ↗IIRC Salman Rushdie has been followed by a bodyguard for decades now due to his controversial book "Satanic Verses" (1988) [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses_controversy
on “Author Salman Rushdie attacked on lecture stage in New York” ↗