Title: Joseph Anton: A Memoir
Author: Salman Rushdie
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2012
636 pages
An enjoyable long memoir by Rushdie. I didn't mind his use of the third person for himself; it made me think about the question of memoir as literary fiction (and indeed, Rushdie the narrator discusses the creation of the personae "Rushdie," "Joseph Anton," and "Joe" by others). Is he a pompous blowhard? I don't know. I've enjoyed his novels and articles even when I haven't agreed with his point. Did he deserve the response to The Satanic Verses? Not in a society that claims to uphold free speech, I thought when I read it and even more so after the attack on the World Trade Center. Can he keep his pants zipped? No, he cannot, which would dispose me to be wary of him if we ever had the opportunity for emotional intimacy.
The audiobook reader, who was otherwise fine, did the worst American accents I've ever heard, and terrible women's voices that made the audiobook dialogue between Rushdie and his wives almost unbearable.
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