Reading Notes Week 17:Rushdie, Part A

Salaman Rushdie:

-1947 to present
- Born to a wealthy Muslim business family in Bombay right before the end of British colonial rule
- Wrote a book called "The Satanic Verses" that offended the leader of Shi'a Muslims in Iran and issued a decree for Muslims around the world to murder Rushdie. Rushdie joked that the decree was a harsh book review.

The Perforated Sheet:

- Narrator is Saleem Sinai, a thirty one year old man born on August 15th, 1947 at exactly midnight, the moment India became independent. Because he was born that day, he feels that is destiny is handcuffed to the country. He fears that he may die soon for some reason, so he decides he needs to tell all the stories he knows before his time runs out.
- The first story is of his grandfather: a doctor named Aadam Aziz.
- Aadam once bumped his nose while praying, from then on he swore never to bow to any god or man, which opened up a hole inside of him leaving his "vulnerable to women and history".
- He just returned to Kashmir from Germany after 5 years.
- Meets a boatman named Tai who he befriends and visits almost every day.
- Tai one day asks him to treat his landlord's daughter Naseem.
- The landlord is a blind art collector named Ghani who is rich
- Ghani does not want his daughter to be seen by strange men, so he brings them to a room where they is a big sheet hung up with a seven inch hole in it for Aadam to treat her through
- Aadam treats Naseem many times after this for many minor illnesses, always through the sheet.
- He becomes attracted to her but tries to keep it professional. He really wants her to develop an illness or injury on her face so he can finally see what she looks like.
- Finally, on the day the World War ends, Naseem develops a headache and he gets to see her face. She is beautiful, but when she sees him she comments that his nose is huge. He jokes back at her and they both laugh, and its implied that Ghani was maybe trying to set them up the whole time.

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