Joseph Anton

A Memoir

By: Salman Rushdie

Narrated by: Sam Dastor, Salman Rushdie

Length: 27 hrs

Publisher's summary

On February 14, 1989, Valentine's Day, Salman Rushdie was telephoned by a BBC journalist and told that he had been "sentenced to death" by the Ayatollah Khomeini. For the first time he heard the word fatwa. His crime? To have written a novel called The Satanic Verses, which was accused of being "against Islam, the Prophet and the Quran".

So begins the extraordinary story of how a writer was forced underground, moving from house to house, with the constant presence of an armed police protection team. He was asked to choose an alias that the police could call him by. He thought of writers he loved and combinations of their names; then it came to him: Conrad and Chekhov - Joseph Anton.

How do a writer and his family live with the threat of murder for more than nine years? How does he go on working? How does he fall in and out of love? How does despair shape his thoughts and actions, how and why does he stumble, how does he learn to fight back? In this remarkable memoir Rushdie tells that story for the first time; the story of one of the crucial battles, in our time, for freedom of speech. He talks about the sometimes grim, sometimes comic realities of living with armed policemen, and of the close bonds he formed with his protectors; of his struggle for support and understanding from governments, intelligence chiefs, publishers, journalists, and fellow writers; and of how he regained his freedom.

It is a book of exceptional frankness and honesty, compelling, provocative, moving, and of vital importance. Because what happened to Salman Rushdie was the first act of a drama that is still unfolding somewhere in the world every day.

This audiobook includes a prologue read by the author.

©2012 Salmon Rushdie (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"In Salman Rushdie... India has produced a glittering novelist -one with startling imaginative and intellectual resources, a master of perpetual storytelling." ( The New Yorker)

"Salman Rushdie has earned the right to be called one of our great storytellers." ( The Observer)

"Our most exhilaratingly inventive prose stylist, a writer of breathtaking originality." ( Financial Times)

State terror vs one man

The power of an Islamic fundamentalist state to change the life of one man is well illustrated in this autobiographical account of the Iranian fatwa against Salman Rushdie. Rushdie is well educated, erudite, Muslim by upbringing and family tradition but more an expat Indian and Englishman when his life is turned upside down by the fatwa. This is Rushdie's personal story - more about his family, loves, friendships, and writing than an action/adventure movie. Like most of the educated West I knew that he was threatened but nothing about what that would mean for one man. His relationships with his personal protection team are particulary telling. Parts are rushed, parts are very self indulgent but it is his story and very revealing of the man and his times.

Excellent Listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The writer's use of language is sublime. The story itself is fascinating. It is the story we all thought we knew but never really did. Strongly recommended.There are only two flaws and they are both minor. Sam Dastor is a joy to listen to. The only problem that I had was his attempt at an American accent. Men, women, children--it was the exact same voice. That became a little distracting, especially when the person speaking is someone famous with a voice we all know. The minor other fault is in the writing. I got a sense that the author tried very hard to be fair to everyone and to note his biases up front. Given what happened to him that seems heroic. That said, there are a few instances where he attempts to indicate that all is forgiven but you get a sense that the exact opposite is true and perhaps the author isn't aware of it. Again, a minor flaw. On the whole the fact that he is able to tell this story without rage is truly amazing.

Long, but interesting

It was very difficult to listen to the high Oxford English of Sam Dastor combined with the long, descriptive writing of Salman Rushdie, but it was interesting to hear about his plight of 14 years. I remember the initial incident, but never that it ended or when. It was interesting enough that I purchased the Satanic Verses just to see what all the fuss was about. That is another reveiw...

This book could have been so much shorter though...really, there was much we did not need to hear. But I think it was a cleansing for Rushdie, to get out all of this thoughts, emotions & frustrations. I hope he feels better.

Sam Dastor was an interesting narrator. It took a long while to get used to the accent. But by the time I finished it was OK and I was actually happy that he was narrating the Satanic Verses. The way he changes voices and accents and also spouts off multiple names from different cultures was amazing. If reading the book, I would have tripped over all the crazy Inidan names. But he did it effortlessly.

I can't imagine hanging in to READ this book though. Far too descriptive. But listening in the car...not so bad...even if my mind drifted frequently.

A must read

Any additional comments?

Rushdie is a brilliant author (mainly novelist) and it’s a rare treat to read a memoir by someone who writes so well.

I hesitated to review this book because my prose pale in comparison to those of Salman Rushdie. But this is such an extraordinary work that I feel compelled to share my opinion, even if clumsily. “Joseph Anton” is the story behind the story for those of us old enough to remember what happened. And for younger people, or anyone who cares about our constitutionally granted freedom of expression, it’s an important reminder of how easily that right can be taken away.

Spellbinding. Storytelling at its best

If you could sum up Joseph Anton in three words, what would they be?

Spellbinding. Embracing. Poignant.

What about Sam Dastor and Salman Rushdie ’s performance did you like?

Some writers are not good narrators. Some are. Stephen King is a master narrator and so is Salman Rushdie. You hang onto every word. Sam Dastor has a similar cadence. Both voices work so well side by side and do not detract from the storytelling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I commute long hours on the road and usually after an hour or so, I tend to take a break; listen to music or just turn off the audio. This book made me want to go on a long drive across the country just so that I could hear more of the story.

Any additional comments?

Do not hesitate to get this book even if you are not into memoir! It reads like a well written novel. Wonderfully told but is also informative, encompassing world history, social commentary and the inner workings of publishing. It is also filled with humor and anecdotes even in the darkest moments. The writing is so poignant that I found myself connecting to Rushdie as a man and found myself rooting for him throughout his journey.

A must-read if you love Rushdie's work

I fell in love with Rushdie's work when I was a 17-year-old freshman at college. My most difficult class was a junior level course called Modern Studies which required me to read 13 novels in 12 weeks. The first on the long list was Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I fell instantly and completely in love. That novel remains on my high atop my list of favorite (and most recommended) books of all-time, and I even fought to include it when I became a teacher myself, many years later.

I devoured Rushdie's bibliography over a number of years. As a teacher, I also researched his personal story and biographical materials. I was fascinated by him as a man, and continued to read his essays and writings as he continued to write.

This novel finally lifted the veil and gave the the story of Rushdie's fatwa from his own mouth. And it is just as interesting as I thought it would be. History buffs and lovers of literature will find the story compelling. Those interested in reading about the struggles of artists under the oppression of religious regimes for free speech would be equally engaged. However, it is worth mentioning that I do believe my background in Rushdie's work helped to ground me as I listen to this title. I am not sure how the experience would differ if I had not had that prior knowledge.

All together, this book is one I continue to recommend to friends who read non-fiction titles.

And, while you are at it, go select Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Midnight's Children as well. Rushdie does not disappoint.

Beautiful. Witty. Heartbreaking. Human.

Having never read any of Rushdie's books, I decided to take on this memoir based on his fame and well-known situation. First, I must say that the narrator was WONDERFUL. Second, I'm still listening. This is not a book to listen to in a rush or all at once. Best to listen for a bit at a time, so you can digest what you are receiving and roll it around in your mind before moving forward. Thoughtful. Intelligent. Profoundly human. Very entertaining in a subtle manner. I loved this one.

The best introduction to all his work

This ok d book should se the first one you read/ london stem and only after that will you enjoy fully Salam’s work. It helped me see this books with a different view. I warmly recommend d you listening it.

A man's freedoms taken away for his own safety

This autobiography is written in the third person which makes it sound weird. It adds a layer of effort on the part of the reader to decode to each event. Each time I read something shocking, as happens quite often in this book, it sounded like a fictionalization. But then I felt surprise with the realization that it actually happened! It was allowed to happen. By an entire religion full of, among other things, evil men. This book is mostly about other, braver men who protected its author. And also the red tape that robbed him of his freedom for a very long time. There's also a healthy amount of love and joy in it. Some dark comedy. And what some might decry as too much of the truth.

A Tale of Intolerance

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and I found myself constantly stunned by the lengths to which Mr. Rushdie was forced to live for 13 years after the publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses. This book gives the listener a glimpse of what it takes to survive a situation of that magnitude and gravity, and it definitely showed people in their true light, both for good and bad. It still astounds me that a writer of fictional stories could be forced underground based on his story and shunned so thoroughly; don't people around the globe understand what the word 'fiction' is? In my modest opinion, if a story challenges your perceptions, then that is a good thing. If I don't like a book, I know I have the option to put it down. Joseph Anton was a wonderful read and I applaud Mr. Rushdie (who is not without his faults and which he lays bare in the book), for not sitting passively by throughout the ordeal fighting for the ability to lead a relatively normal life.