Salman Rushdie born June 19, 1947 in Bombay, India is an essayist and author of fiction mostly set on the Indian subcontinent. He grew up in Mumbai, then graduated with honours from King?s College, Cambridge in England. His narrative style, blending myth and fantasy with real life, has been described as connected with magical realism.

His writing career began with Grimus, a fantastic tale, part-science fiction, which was generally ignored by the book-buying public and literary critics. His next novel, Midnight?s

Children, however, catapulted him to literary fame and is considered his best work to date. It also shaped Indian writing during the next decade significantly. This work was later awarded the Booker of Bookers prize in 1993 ? being the best novel to be awarded the

Booker Prize in its first 25 years. After the success of Midnight?s Children, Rushdie wrote a short novel ? Shame. Both these works are characterised by, apart from the style of magical realism, the immigrant outlook that Rushdie is so very conscious about.

Rushdie received many other awards for his writings including the European Union?s Aristeion Prize for Literature. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres.

The publication of The Satanic Verses in 1989 caused controversy in the Fundamentalist Muslim world, due to his irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad. On February 14, 1989, a fatwa promising his execution was placed on him by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, calling his book ?blasphemous against Islam.? Furthermore, Khomeini condemned Rushdie for the crime of ?apostasy?, attempting to leave Islam, which according to the Qur?an is punishable by death. This was due to Rushdie?s communication through the novel that he no longer believes in Islam. Khomeini called on all ?zealous Muslims? to execute the writer, as well as the publishers of the book. On February 24 Khomeini then placed a three-million-US dollar bounty for the death of Rushdie. Rushdie has since lived in hiding under British-financed security.

After the death of Khomeini, the Iranian Government publicly committed itself in 1998 to not carry out the death sentence against Mr Rushdie. This was agreed to in the context of a larger deal between Iran and the UK to normalise relations. Rushdie afterward declared that he would stop living in hiding. However, the fatwa of the Ayatolla was not lifted.

In 1999 an Iranian foundation put a $ 2.8 millions bounty on Rushdie?s head. The novel was banned in India and South Africa and burned on the streets of some asian areas in England. In 1991 the Japanese translator was murdered and in 1993 Rushdie?s Norwegian publisher was wounded in an attack outside his house. In 1997 the bounty was doubled, and the next year (before the Iran-UK agreement) the highest Iranian state prosecutor restated his support.