In 'The Eleventh Hour,' Salman Rushdie writes about morality, revenge and ghosts
On NPR's Book of the Day, Salman Rushdie discusses his perspectives on mortality and artistic expression following his 2022 stabbing attack. He explores these themes through his book "The Eleventh Hour," which follows the story of a deceased academic's ghost, and shares how his writing style has evolved to become more improvisational, comparing it to jazz performance.
The discussion covers the relationship between art and social responsibility, with Rushdie explaining his approach of posing questions rather than lecturing readers. He describes how his experiences with censorship have shaped his narrative techniques, including his use of magical realism and his method of personifying concepts like language to examine themes of oppression and resistance.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Nov 5, 2025 episode of the NPR's Book of the Day
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1-Page Summary
Mortality, Death, and the End of Life
Following a near-fatal stabbing attack in 2022, Salman Rushdie, now 78, reflects deeply on mortality and death's influence on his writing. Rushdie draws inspiration from Edward Said's essay "On Late Style," noting that artists facing mortality often respond with either serenity or rage. These themes manifest in his book "The Eleventh Hour," where he explores mortality through the story of S.M. Arthur, a deceased academic whose ghost remains bound to his university by unresolved issues and a desire for revenge.
Art's Role in Power, Resistance, and Censorship
Rushdie discusses the delicate balance between art and social responsibility, emphasizing that while artists must engage with their times, they shouldn't lecture readers. Instead, he believes in posing questions that encourage readers to form their own conclusions. This philosophy appears in works like "The Musicians of Kahani," where he explores art's power against injustice. His experiences with censorship have deeply influenced his writing, leading to innovative narrative approaches, such as personifying language as a female figure to explore themes of oppression.
Narrative Forms: Magical Realism & Personification Exploration
With maturity, Rushdie's writing style has evolved to become more improvisational, which he compares to jazz performance. Rather than strict planning, he now allows stories to develop organically through the writing process. This approach has led to creative breakthroughs in his work, particularly in his use of magical realism and personification. In stories like "The Old Men in the Piazza," this experimental style allows him to examine complex themes of oppression and resistance through supernatural elements and personified language.
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Actionables
- You can explore your own responses to mortality by journaling about how the concept of life's impermanence influences your daily decisions and long-term goals. Start by writing a few minutes each day, focusing on how awareness of mortality might shape your choices, such as pursuing passions or mending relationships, and observe any shifts in your perspective over time.
- Create a short story or artwork that embodies your feelings about a personal challenge, using elements of magical realism or personification to give depth to the narrative. For instance, if you're dealing with the theme of isolation, you might write about a character who can literally split into multiple selves, each representing different aspects of solitude.
- Engage in improvisational activities, like impromptu storytelling or freeform drawing, to cultivate a more spontaneous and organic approach to your creative hobbies. Set aside time each week to create without a plan, allowing your story or artwork to evolve naturally, and reflect on how this process affects your final piece compared to when you work with a structured outline.
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Mortality, Death, and the End of Life
Salman Rushdie's recent experiences and reflections shed light on his personal contemplations about mortality, death, and their influence on his literary work.
Rushdie's Experiences With Mortality Have Influenced His Writing
Rushdie's Near-Death Experience in 2022 Prompts Reflection on Mortality and Aging
After surviving a stabbing attack onstage in 2022, Salman Rushdie has found himself deeply reflecting on the themes of mortality and death. Even before the attack, Rushdie, being 78 years old, recognized that he wasn't in the "first flush of youth" and naturally contemplated the inevitable approach of life's "final act."
At 78, Rushdie Contemplates Life's "Final Act"
As he considers his own mortality, Rushdie is influenced by the essay "On Late Style" by Edward Said, which examines how artists confront their creativity's waning days. Rushdie notes that the response to approaching death can manifest as either serenity or rage, a spectrum of emotion that is reflected in his own reckoning with mortality.
Rushdie Explores Death and Afterlife Perspectives
Reactions to Death: Serenity or Rage
Rushdie elaborates on Said's observations about the varied responses to the idea of death. These two contrasting emotions – serenity and rage – serve as a basis for understanding how different individuals and characters might confront the end of their lives.
Unresolved Issues and Revenge Can Keep a Ghost Restless
In his book "The Eleventh Hour," Rushdie delves into a narrative about a ghost consumed by the need for revenge. Set in England, the character, a university academic named S.M. Arthur, awakens in death to find himself aware and unable to leave his lifelong academic institution due to unresolved issues.
Rushdie Examines Mortality Complexities Through Ghost Stories, Magical Re ...
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Mortality, Death, and the End of Life
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Actionables
- Reflect on your own life's "final act" by writing a letter to your future self. Imagine you're at a significant age milestone, like 80 or 90, and write a letter from that perspective. Address what you hope to have achieved, how you've dealt with life's challenges, and your feelings about the approaching end of life. This exercise can help you understand your current values and how they might shape your remaining years.
- Create a personal art piece that captures your feelings about mortality. Use any medium you're comfortable with, such as painting, drawing, or digital art, to express the spectrum of emotions you associate with the end of life. This could be a serene landscape that represents peace or a more chaotic abstract piece that conveys rage. The act of creating can be therapeutic and help you explore your subconscious thoughts on mortality.
- Start a "resolution journal" to ad ...
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Art's Role in Power, Resistance, and Censorship
Salman Rushdie discusses the relationship between artists, their work, and the sociopolitical context of their times, as well as the impact of censorship on his own writing.
Rushdie Believes Artists Must Respond To Their Times
Rushdie discusses the responsibility artists have to engage with the world around them, emphasizing that while art shouldn't be didactic, artists have a role to play in asking questions that challenge readers to form their own conclusions.
Writers Should Ask Questions Rather Than Lecturing Readers
Salman Rushdie critiques didactic art, suggesting that it shouldn't lecture readers on what to think. He believes that writing should instead ask probing questions that require readers to explore answers independently.
Rushdie's "the Musician of Kahani" on Art's Power Against Injustice
Rushdie's work, "The Musicians of Kahani," illustrates his views on art's power and responsibility in addressing injustice. The story features a character with mystical abilities using her powers in the realm of justice and revenge, mirroring Rushdie's own contemplation of art's significance in the face of censorship and book removals.
Censorship and Threats Influence Rushdie's Writing
Rushdie's writing has been shaped by his experiences with censorship and threats, leading to a deeper exploration of language and oppression within his narratives.
Rushdie Uses Language As a Female Figure to Explore Oppression Them ...
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Art's Role in Power, Resistance, and Censorship
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Counterarguments
- While Rushdie emphasizes the responsibility of artists to engage with their times, one could argue that art can also serve as an escape or a form of pure entertainment, and not all art needs to be socially or politically engaged.
- Some might contend that didactic art has its place and can be effective in educating or raising awareness about specific issues, suggesting that there is a spectrum of ways art can communicate, including direct instruction.
- The power of art against injustice, as depicted in "The Musicians of Kahani," could be seen as idealistic, with critics pointing out that real-world change often requires more than artistic expression, such as political action and social reform.
- While Rushdie's experiences with censorship have shaped his writing, some might argue that an artist's work can be equally profound without such personal trials, and that adversity is not a prerequisite for depth in art.
- The personification o ...
Actionables
- You can create art that reflects current events by starting a daily sketch or journal entry inspired by news stories. Choose a story that resonates with you each day and create a piece of art, whether it's a drawing, a short story, or a poem, that captures your perspective on the issue. This practice not only hones your artistic skills but also builds a portfolio of work that's engaged with the world.
- Engage in conversations that challenge your viewpoints by joining a book club or discussion group with diverse perspectives. Look for groups that focus on literature or art that tackles controversial or thought-provoking topics. Actively participating in these discussions can help you understand the power of asking questions through art and can inspire you to create works that provoke thought rather than dictate a message.
- Experiment with improvisation in your creative proc ...
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Narrative Forms: Magical Realism & Personification Exploration
Salman Rushdie, an acclaimed novelist, discusses his approach to writing, which exhibits an improvisational quality akin to a jazz performance. This method has paved the way for innovative narrative forms such as magical realism and personification.
Rushdie Embraces an Improvisational, Jazz-Like Approach To Writing
Rushdie’s writing process has evolved with time, becoming more open-ended and discovery-driven.
Discovering the Story While Writing, Less Reliant on Strict Planning
Rushdie shares that as he has aged, his writing has become free and more about exploration. "My way of writing has become freer and more willing to see the process as one of discovery, that you discover what you're writing by writing it," he says, underscoring his move away from strict planning.
Surprising Stories Sparked Language Personification
The spontaneity in Rushdie's writing approach allows for surprising developments, much like a jazz musician’s solos. Scott Tong equates this to allowing oneself "eight bars of who-knows-what's-coming improvisation.” Rushdie expresses enjoyment in this improvisational style, which has become ingrained in his writing.
Rushdie's Magical Realism and Experimental Techniques Illuminate Themes
The author’s adoption of magical realism and experimental narrative techniques skillfully sheds light on deep themes.
"Late": A Supernatural Ghost Story on Mortality and Unfinished Business
In works like "Late," Rushdie employs magical realism to create a supernatural ghost story that contemplates mortality and unfinished business. This narrative form allows Rushdie to delve into the complexities of life and the unresolve ...
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Narrative Forms: Magical Realism & Personification Exploration
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Counterarguments
- While Rushdie's improvisational approach is celebrated, some critics argue that a lack of planning can lead to less coherent narratives or underdeveloped themes.
- The improvisational style, compared to jazz, might not resonate with all readers or writers, who may prefer more structured and predictable storytelling.
- Magical realism, while offering unique perspectives, is sometimes criticized for being confusing or too abstract for readers who prefer more realistic narratives.
- The use of magical realism and personification might not always illuminate deep themes effectively for every reader; some may find these techniques distracting or gimmicky.
- The personification of language, as seen in "The Old Men in the Piazza," could be seen as an overly complex way to explore themes of oppression and resistance, potentially alienating readers not accustomed to such narrative devices.
- Some literary critics argue that experimental narrative techniques can sometimes overshadow the story itself, making the form more prominent ...
Actionables
- You can embrace the unexpected in your daily routine by setting aside time each week to engage in an activity with no predetermined outcome. For instance, take a different route when walking or driving, cook a meal without a recipe, or start a conversation without a topic in mind, allowing the interaction to unfold naturally and lead to unanticipated insights or connections.
- Experiment with creative expression by starting a 'discovery journal' where you write, draw, or paste images without any plan. Begin with a word, a doodle, or an image and let your thoughts and the narrative develop organically. This can help you tap into your subconscious and may lead to the emergence of themes or ideas that resonate with your personal experiences.
- Explore new perspectives by reading or list ...
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