There is no news, probably intentional, and I hope he’s recovering. He has a new book called Victory City coming in February 2023.

For some reason, I can’t find my old copy of The Satanic Verses that I bought in 1989. I probably lent it to someone. Grrrrrrr. I should be like a librarian and write things down.

I will be gradually re-reading his books, first my favourites. Shalimar the Clown, Moor’s last sigh, Shame, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Midnight Children…

But then I will try to re-read the ones I didn’t like THAT MUCH; I might change my mind.

Fury, Quichotte. Some books are better the second time round.

But I am thinking about his future. What is going to happen to Mr Rushdie ? It looks grim. He will never be safe. So he has probably gone to hiding again. I don’t hate easily, and I don’t get angry very often.

But I hate those clerics insisting that the fatwah against Mr Rushdie is still valid. I am angry with people condemning a book they never read. I am angry with journalists and writers saying platitudes about “ people shouldn’t offend other people’s religions”.

Religions have done a lot of evil in the past. And one should be able to joke, ask questions, talk freely. I am not saying we would not be polite and non-offensive, but we should have the freedom to talk about religion even if we don’t believe.

I have been involved with two zoom church groups, one in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, one in Oxford, UK. Their discussion about Old and New Testaments, about religions, various stories. For example, a cycle about Abraham and Isaac and the various interpretations were fabulous. There was a rabbi and a protestant preacher ,sometimes there is an art historian.

They are all deeply religious, but also tolerant and with a sense of humour. I love those people, and despite their knowledge that I am completely Godless and that I have rather outrageous comments, they tolerate me in their meetings.

They didn’t even mind my hypothesis that for God to turn into a human in Christ, God in Christus form would have to forget he was a God, and I compared it to my concussion I had when I was skiing. I didn’t remember anything, not even that my father died in the past, but it all came back after 6 hours. So I said it is as if God had a concussion, so he felt an actual human even at crucifixion, but then on resurrection, the memory of Godliness came back.

They were not cross with me! Amazing. Nobody declared a fatwa. But then, most religious people, including Muslims are not bigoted homicidal maniacs.

I wish Salman Rushdie a good health and writing a lot more books.

I would say “ Let’s pray for him” but I can’t pray, I don’t have anybody to pray to.

So I will wish for  this good man and a genius to be left alone to write. And keep his many friends to be with.