Latest news with #SalmanRushdie
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Nick Cave fans find secret souvenirs in charity shop haul
Musician Nick Cave has donated 2,000 books from his personal collection to an Oxfam charity shop in Hove, East Sussex. The donated books were previously part of an art installation by Cave, which had toured Canada and Denmark. The collection is described as "interesting" and "varied", encompassing philosophy, art, religion, and fiction, with works by authors such as Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan. Fans have flocked to the shop, discovering personal items – such as plane tickets used by Cave and an old envelope that once held Cave's son's tooth – inside some of the books. Cave's publicist said that the musician would not comment on the donation, expressing a wish for the discoveries to remain "intriguing mysteries". Nick Cave sparks fan frenzy after donating thousands of books to charity shop
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Nick Cave fans swarm charity bookshop in UK after musician donates thousands of books
Nick Cave fans have descended on a charity bookshop in Hove, in southern England, after the musician donated 2,000 books from his personal collection. The Australian singer made the donation to Hove's Oxfam Bookshop on Blatchington Road. The books were once part of his personal library, which was recreated for an art installation that went to Denmark and Canada. A bookshop worker named only as Richard told the Argus: 'It's a very interesting donation. The types of books are very wide ranging – there's philosophy, art, religion, even old fiction paperbacks. It's an incredibly varied donation. He clearly held on to his books, some of them are quite old.' Books from Cave's collection on sale included books by Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and Ian McEwan, a first edition of Johnny Cash's novel Man In White, and 'a recipe book about aphrodisiacs', the Times reported. This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. The Times reported that 'a crowd of people' were going through Cave's books in the shop by Friday, with treasures including Cave's boarding pass for a flight to Amsterdam, a map of the US, an empty packet of cigarettes and an 'old envelope with the words 'Lukes tooth' written in Cave's distinctive handwriting.' His son Luke is 34 years old. On Saturday, a queue formed at the shop as word spread. Cave and his family moved to Brighton in the 2000s. One of his sons, Arthur, died in 2015 after falling from a cliff in Ovingdean Gap in Brighton. The family left for Los Angeles, then London; in 2023, they sold the Brighton home for £2.9m. Cave wrote: 'Brighton had just become too sad … we did, however, return once we realised that, regardless of where we lived, we just took our sadness with us.' Richard told the Argus that many of Cave's books will just look like regular books on the shelves, unless fans go searching: 'A couple have plane tickets used as bookmarks but apart from that. It's not like he was one of these people who had a book plate or wrote his name in.' However, some customers reported finding books with sentences underlined or passages noted in Cave's handwriting. Some were also once gifts, including a copy of The Lieutenant of Inishmore inscribed by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. A spokesperson for Cave said he wouldn't comment on the donation, saying: 'He thinks the discoveries will remain intriguing mysteries for those who find them.'
Mint
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Three Indian galleries expand their presence in London with a unique showcase
In a significant showcase last month, three major Indian art galleries—Jhaveri Contemporary, Vadehra Art Gallery and Chemould Prescott Road—came together to spotlight South Asian resident and diaspora artists in London. Their joint presentation was displayed at No. 9 Cork Street, Frieze's exhibition space in the city. It also ended up being a part of the London Gallery Weekend, which drew participation from over 130 galleries. No. 9 Cork Street provided the Indian galleries a platform to be represented at this event despite not having a permanent physical space in the city. The Gallery Weekend is an important cog in London's art calendar and with Cork Street celebrating its centenary this year, the 2025 edition became all the more significant. The event was attended by the likes of Salman Rushdie, Ghanaian-British artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah, and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, as well as by representatives of key museums such as the Tate, Barbican and the Royal Academy. In a city where institutional interest for contemporary artists from the subcontinent has been growing steadily, this presentation by three Indian galleries could be a catalyst for greater interest in the long run. 'In London, collectors have a broader outlook. In the context of South Asian art, they are not necessarily collecting geographically but thematically or generationally. The works have to speak to issues that concern collectors independent of where they come from,' shares Amrita Jhaveri of Jhaveri Contemporary. 'Having said that, many international collectors are attracted to the India story. When they travel to our country for work, they also explore our art.' Jhaveri Contemporary presented Horizons, a group exhibition featuring works by Muhanned Cader, Seher Shah and Lubna Chowdhary. It also created a dedicated section of Permindar Kaur's works—intended to serve as a curtain raiser for her upcoming exhibition at the Pitzhanger Manor in London. Gieve Patel, 'Mourners III', acrylic on canvas, 2005. Courtesy: Vadehra Art Gallery Cader's series of small-sized oil paintings, Nightscapes (1999), which had been created during the most intense part of the Sri Lankan civil war, stood out. Painted in oil on plywood, they revealed evocative scenes where dusk grudgingly gave way to darkness. The irregular shapes of his canvases spoke of the lives distorted by the conflict, and echoed the marginalised voices from that period. Delhi-based Vadehra Art Gallery presented new work by contemporary artist Biraaj Dodiya, which was in dialogue with a selection of paintings by the late artist-poet Gieve Patel. 'We have been expanding our presence in London due to growing interest from institutions and prominent collectors,' shares gallerist Roshini Vadehra. The gallery had previously showcased at No. 9 Cork Street in 2022 with a solo of Anju Dodiya's works followed by a significant exhibition of Sudhir Patwardhan's paintings last year. In the recent presentation, one of the most compelling paintings on showcase was Patel's Crushed Head (1984), which showed the shattered remains of a person who had suffered great trauma. In response, Dodiya created funerary head rests inspired by ancient cultures as part of the larger series. 'Finding joy in Gieve's application of paint also means knocking one's head against his Crushed Head and the Mourners. Paint mimics the residue of the body. The violence of the encounter marks our spaces with grief and a quiet introspection,' she reflected in the curatorial essay. Chemould Prescott Road showed a solo exhibition of works by Rashid Rana. The highlight was Fractured Moment (2025), a frame-by-frame breakdown of a CCTV capture of the night sky in Gaza, which showed it being intermittently lit up by the Israeli air strikes. The large wallpaper work engulfed the whole room figuratively putting the visitor in the centre of a war zone. What made the work striking was that the subject of the images, which seemed innocuous from afar, became clear only upon closer observation. 'There is a need for artists to speak up with a sense of urgency, especially in the context of Gaza. When I saw Rashid's work, I immediately felt that having a room dedicated to it would be important at this point in time,' reveals Shireen Gandhy of Chemould Prescott Road. Whether it was Rana's array of images from Gaza, Cader's haunting reflections from the Sri Lankan conflict, or Patel's poignant rendition of the common man's trauma—the works stood out for their impact on the human psyche, and also allowed the three exhibitions to connect with each other. Anindo Sen is an independent art writer.
CNN
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Salman Rushdie Fast Facts
Here's a look at the life of Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie. Birth date: June 19, 1947 Birth place: Bombay (now Mumbai), India Birth name: Ahmed Salman Rushdie Father: Anis Ahmed Rushdie, businessman Mother: Negin Rushdie, teacher Marriages: Rachel Eliza Griffiths (2021-Present); Padma Lakshmi (2004-2007, divorced); Elizabeth West (1997-2004, divorced); Marianne Wiggins (1988-1993, divorced); Clarissa Luard (1976-1987, divorced) Children: with Elizabeth West: Milan; with Clarissa Luard: Zafar Education: King's College, University of Cambridge, graduated in 1968 Rushdie moved to England to attend Rugby School, where he experienced racist taunts and bullying from his classmates. Before becoming a full-time writer, Rushdie worked intermittently as an advertising copywriter in London. The 1988 release of Rushdie's book, 'The Satanic Verses,' was met with demonstrations, riots and bans in Muslim-majority countries for perceived blasphemy. Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 calling for the author and everybody who worked on the book to be killed. Ettore Capriolo, an Italian translator of the novel, was stabbed; Hitoshi Igarashi, a Japanese translator of 'The Satanic Verses,' was murdered; and William Nygaard, a Norwegian publisher, was shot and wounded. Following the 1989 fatwa, Rushdie went into hiding with the assistance of British police and was forced to limit public appearances and restrict his movements for over a decade. Rushdie created an alias for himself, 'Joseph Anton,' an amalgamation composed of two other writer's names: Joseph Conrad and Anton Checkov. In The Sunday Telegraph, Rushdie has stated that if he had not become a writer, his dream was to be an actor. 1975 - Rushdie's first novel, 'Grimus,' is published. 1981 - Wins the Booker Prize for 'Midnight's Children.' 1983 - 'Shame' is published. 1988 - 'The Satanic Verses' is published. February 14, 1989 - Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa against Rushdie, calling for his murder. Rushdie goes into hiding with the assistance of British police. 1990 - 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' is published. 1998 - The Iranian government pledges not to seek to carry out the fatwa on Rushdie. 2001 - Rushdie appears as himself in the film 'Bridget Jones's Diary.' 2006 - Joins Emory University's English Department as Distinguished Writer in Residence and begins teaching in 2007. June 16, 2007 - Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature. Rushdie collects his knighthood on June 25, 2008. 2011-2015 - Serves as University Distinguished Professor of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University. 2012 - The film adaptation of 'Midnight's Children' premieres. 2016 - Becomes a US citizen but retains British citizenship. August 12, 2022 - Rushdie is stabbed multiple times onstage before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. According to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt, Rushdie suffers three stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh. August 13, 2022 - Hadi Matar, 24, accused of stabbing Rushdie, pleads not guilty to attempted murder in the second degree and other charges. October 22, 2022 - According to Rushdie's literary agent Andrew Wylie, in an interview given to Spanish newspaper El País, Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and one of his hands is 'incapacitated' following the August 2022 attack. October 28, 2022 - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces new sanctions on the '15 Khordad Foundation' over the attack of Rushdie. February 6, 2023 - Rushdie gives an interview to The New Yorker, his first interview since he was severely injured in the 2022 stabbing attack. February 7, 2023 - Rushdie's 'Victory City' is published, his first book published since the attack. According to his publisher, Rushdie is not participating in a press tour. May 15, 2023 - In a rare public video message at The British Book Awards, Rushdie warns that freedom of expression is at risk. April 14, 2024 - Giving his first television interview since he was stabbed, Rushdie tells CBS' '60 Minutes' that he had a 'premonition' of the event just days beforehand. April 16, 2024 - 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,' Rushdie's memoir about the 2022 attack and his recovery, is published. February 11, 2025 - Rushdie testifies in court against Matar, showing a jury his blinded right eye. On May 16, Matar is found guilty of attempted murder and assault and is sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Spectator
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Is Britain an ally or an enemy of Israel?
Even as the British parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) published its stark warning yesterday that the Islamic Republic of Iran's Quds Force orchestrates spy rings on British soil, the UK continues its public ostracisation of Israel, the very country on the frontline of seeing down that exact threat. Britain must choose. Not between Israelis and Palestinians, but between honesty and hypocrisy Earlier this week, an Afghan-Danish spy working for Iran was arrested for photographing Jewish and Israeli targets in Berlin. The intelligence trail ran through Israel, Denmark, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. Israel's cooperation helped foil an operation with chilling echoes of the Iranian regime's 1980s and 90s terror campaigns in Europe, such as the assassination of Shapour Bakhtiar in France, the murder of Salman Rushdie's Japanese translator, and Hezbollah-linked attacks tied to Iranian agents. And yet we in Britain are punishing our ally, Israel, with symbolic slights, even as it helps protect European citizens. Britain must choose. Not between Israelis and Palestinians, nor between compassion and realism, but between honesty and hypocrisy. For too long, successive UK governments have sought to conceal the depth and strength of their alliance with Israel behind a veil of diplomatic ambiguity and theatrical moralising. In doing so, they not only insult a vital ally but also betray the British public by failing to explain, with clarity and confidence, why our alliance with Israel is essential – economically, militarily, and morally. In May, Foreign Secretary David Lammy declared with great theatrical indignation that he was suspending UK-Israel trade negotiations, condemning Israeli ministers in apocalyptic tones, while still quietly affirming continued security and intelligence cooperation. As he stood up in the Commons, all bluster and rage, I thought back to a moment less than two years before; I had been in Israel, travelling with then Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch as she diligently worked towards that exact free trade agreement, paving the way to greater collaboration between the UK and Israel. As we toured the Teva pharmaceuticals factory, she told me how it represents just one example of the mutual benefits to both countries of our close ties: the Israeli company's generic medicines save the NHS around £2.7 billion every year, and it employs 1,200 people in the UK across four sites. But in 2025, Lammy declared the trade talks frozen. Yet only today the British Embassy in Israel quietly released a glowing statement (aimed at the Israeli press), touting Britain's new Industrial Strategy and hailing Israel as a premier partner in eight high-growth sectors, from AI and clean energy to life sciences and digital innovation. One in eight medicines used in the UK originates from Israeli firms, it boasts. Over the last five years, more than 300 Israeli companies have expanded into the UK creating around 4,000 jobs and over £906 million in investment. Israeli investment in the UK last year alone created nearly 900 jobs and injected £173 million into our economy. Britain exports aircraft engines and automobiles to Israel. Israel delivers biotechnology, software, and cyber expertise to Britain. The relationship is not just strategic, it is indispensable. But while Britain embraces it in practice, it condemns it in public. Israel is treated by British politicians not as a respected friend, but as a secret mistress, visited in the dark, denied in the daylight. This duplicity is neither moral nor mature. It is cowardice, dressed up as conscience. Worse still, it empowers precisely the voices that seek to undermine both countries. By indulging and appeasing the anti-Israel theatrics of certain backbenchers and media ideologues –those who confuse Hamas propaganda with human rights advocacy – the UK government lends legitimacy to a worldview in which the Jewish state is uniquely villainised. Nowhere is this split-personality approach more absurd than in the UK's recent decision to sanction Israel's Finance and National Security Ministers, at the very moment it is deepening trade ties and drawing on Israeli expertise in security. The Finance Minister is targeted while UK-Israel economic cooperation thrives. The National Security Minister is blacklisted even as, in the words of Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan and ex-head of international terrorism at the UK's Joint Intelligence Committee, the UK continues to rely on Israel's unmatched security know-how. Earlier this month as we sat together in a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv, Kemp told me just how much Britain still learns from Israel. The ISC's report on Iran is categorical: Iran is executing or sponsoring kidnapping plots, assassination attempts, cyber-attacks, and propaganda operations within the UK. MI5 and counter-terror agencies have thwarted at least 15 credible plots since 2022. British-Iranian journalists have been targeted. Families of BBC Persian staff harassed in Tehran. British Jews are in danger. All this, while Britain dithers on whether to proscribe the IRGC, the military arm of a regime that openly boasts of its ambition to destroy both Israel and the West. Meanwhile, Israel confronts these threats head-on. Not with bluster, but with courage, skill and competence. It has created a society that is both free and secure, pluralistic and resilient. It is a state where secularism coexists with vibrant religious life, where Arab citizens serve in the judiciary and military, and where corruption is prosecuted even at the highest levels – unlike in Britain where free spectacles, clothes, wallpaper, concert tickets, dresses and much more are no more than tabloid fodder. A nation of just ten million has produced more start-ups and lifesaving medical innovations per capita than nearly any other country on Earth, ranking among the top globally for Nobel laureates per capita. It has absorbed refugees from every continent, forged a national identity from extraordinary diversity, and shown that multiculturalism need not mean fragmentation. Contrast this with Britain's own drift. Struggling with incoherent policing, demoralised armed forces, a fraying social contract, and a political class paralysed by its own post-colonial neuroses, the UK seems ever more inclined to lecture its allies instead of learning from them. We issue pious calls for ceasefires with no strategy, no plan, no understanding of the enemy. We demand de-escalation while offering no alternative to surrender. We condemn Israel for confronting jihadism while failing to contain it ourselves. Enough. Britain cannot afford to berate the very partner that helps it survive in a perilous age. Nor can it outsource its moral compass to the loudest street protestor, the scariest religious fanatic, or most sanctimonious backbencher. It should stand up, speak clearly, and state the truth: Israel is our friend, a model, and an essential ally. The time for double-dealing is over. We must stop whispering our friendship and start declaring it with pride.
