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I was just reminded that it is 20 years since the author Salman Rushdie had a Fatwa pronounced upon him by Ayatollah Khomeini for his authorship of “The Satanic Verses”. A novel which exposed the truth of the Koran that some of the verses, and no one knows which, were written by Satan. Now, I can’t say I’ve ever read it, but then, neither has anyone else.
If it’s anything like his other stuff, it is impenetrable and you need to be a mudslime to understand it. Anyway, he’s still living under a death threat, as the Ayatollah called open season on him for blaspheming Alan, or whoever their god is.
More important is that during the same week back in 1988, two other great literary events hit the headlines. The first was, when to great acclaim, Brother Nobar King (no relation to the present one) published his ground-breaking novel, “Buddha, The Fat Bastard”. This is as far as I know, still in print from Landover Press and selling well despite protests from that hater of Freedom of Speech, the Delhi Lamar.
The second was a small tragedy, Brother Samuel Wainwright, who had recently left Landover under not too happy circumstances, was found dead on the Old Bridge. In his hand were a few scraps of the final draft of his novel, “Jesus Christ, His Life and Reality.”
The autopsy on much beloved Brother Simon found that he had died of a wound from a sharp instrument and a gunshot to the back of the head. Returning a verdict of suicide, although no weapon was ever found, Brother Coroner Nahum Crossgrove of Landover suggested that the weapon or weapons were probably washed away by the Landover River and concluded that Brother Simon had taken his own life whilst the balance of his mind was disturbed.
Various Pastors testified that they knew of his intentions to expose what he (Brother Simon) saw as contradictions in the New Testament and had advised him against it – he nevertheless insisted on continuing and had even secured a publishing contract. No trace was ever found of the draft novel or the contract.
So, a sad day all round, although the royalties from Brother Nobar’s book do give some relief from the appalling memories.
If it’s anything like his other stuff, it is impenetrable and you need to be a mudslime to understand it. Anyway, he’s still living under a death threat, as the Ayatollah called open season on him for blaspheming Alan, or whoever their god is.
More important is that during the same week back in 1988, two other great literary events hit the headlines. The first was, when to great acclaim, Brother Nobar King (no relation to the present one) published his ground-breaking novel, “Buddha, The Fat Bastard”. This is as far as I know, still in print from Landover Press and selling well despite protests from that hater of Freedom of Speech, the Delhi Lamar.
The second was a small tragedy, Brother Samuel Wainwright, who had recently left Landover under not too happy circumstances, was found dead on the Old Bridge. In his hand were a few scraps of the final draft of his novel, “Jesus Christ, His Life and Reality.”
The autopsy on much beloved Brother Simon found that he had died of a wound from a sharp instrument and a gunshot to the back of the head. Returning a verdict of suicide, although no weapon was ever found, Brother Coroner Nahum Crossgrove of Landover suggested that the weapon or weapons were probably washed away by the Landover River and concluded that Brother Simon had taken his own life whilst the balance of his mind was disturbed.
Various Pastors testified that they knew of his intentions to expose what he (Brother Simon) saw as contradictions in the New Testament and had advised him against it – he nevertheless insisted on continuing and had even secured a publishing contract. No trace was ever found of the draft novel or the contract.
So, a sad day all round, although the royalties from Brother Nobar’s book do give some relief from the appalling memories.
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