Last week, the British Book Awards honored Salman Rushdie with its prestigious Freedom to Publish Award. The prize, given only once before, honors writers, publishing houses and booksellers who, according to the Booksellers Association, “take a stand against intolerance, despite the ongoing threats they face.”
It is no metaphor to say that Rushdie embodies the consequences of those threats. As I watched this literary icon deliver his acceptance speech, my immediate thought was, “My God, how weary he must be.”
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