Salman Rushdie "Greatest Living Indian Writer, Nobel Long Overdue" Says Shashi Tharoor

MP and author Shashi Tharoor has called Salman Rushdie’s novel Victory City “magnificent and magical”. Tharoor took to social media and wrote how Rushdie is able to recreate the Vijayanagara Empire “through his magical-realist lens, brilliantly written as always, full of the verve and brio of a writer at the height of his powers”.

Tharoor called Rushdie the “greatest living Indian writer” who should have won the Nobel Prize for Literature by now.

“I’ve just finished Salman Rushdie’s magnificent & magical “Victory City” — a fabulous recreation of the history of the Vijaynagar Empire through his magical-realist lens, brilliantly written as always, full of the verve and brio of a writer at the height of his powers,” wrote Tharoor.

“The book ends with the sentence “Words are the only victors”. But the wielder of these words is a victor too, & “Victory City” is a triumph. That overdue Nobel must not be withheld any longer to the greatest living Indian writer.”

Tharoor and Rushdie have shared the stage on numerous occasions at various literary events. Despite controversies surrounding Rushdie’s work, Tharoor has remained a steadfast supporter and friend to Rushdie throughout their long relationship. Rushdie has praised Tharoor’s writing, calling him “one of the most articulate and sophisticated writers in India.” Tharoor, in turn, has spoken about Rushdie’s influence on his own writing and has defended Rushdie’s right to free expression in the face of controversy.

In 2012, Rushdie was forced to cancel a scheduled appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India, due to threats of violence from religious groups. Tharoor, who was a member of parliament at the time, publicly criticized the decision to cancel Rushdie’s appearance and called it a “shameful moment” for India.

Shashi Tharoor was in news recently for his take on the upcoming film The Kerala Story. He clarified that he is not advocating for a ban on the upcoming film. However, he believes the film misrepresents the reality of his home state.

“Let me stress, I am not calling for a ban on the film. Freedom of expression does not cease to be valuable just because it can be misused. But Keralites have every right to say loud and clear that this is a misrepresentation of our reality,” Tharoor tweeted.

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