NPR

Why Salman Rushdie's work sparked decades of controversy

Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie was brutally attacked this week. He has been the subject of death threats since his book The Satanic Verses was published in 1988.
Author Salman Rushdie at the Blue Sofa at the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.

For the last 33 years, the world-renowned author Salman Rushdie has lived under threat because of his writing.

Rushdie was forced into hiding after the publication of his 1988 novel, . It took nearly a decade for Rushdie to become more vocal and visible — though he continued to write stories. Today, Rushdie is widely known for being a

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