Author Salman Rushdie was born in Bombay in 1947 to a family of Kashmiri Muslim heritage. He was educated first in India and then in England. He published his first two works—Grimus and Midnight’s Children—while working in England as an advertising copywriter. Although Grimus did not make much of an impact, Midnight’s Children won the 1981 Booker Prize and launched Rushdie’s literary career. After this novel, Rushdie wrote another novel—Shame—and a work of nonfiction called The Jaguar Smile. Shame won the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger and nearly won Rushdie another Booker Prize.

In 1988, Rushdie won the Whitbread Award for what became his most controversial novel: The Satanic Verses. Rushdie’s depiction of Muhammad in this novel enraged many Muslims, and Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini called for Rushdie’s death. Rushdie was forced to go into hiding and to accept security offered by the British government. Around the world, the book was frequently banned, and both bookstores that sold it and people associated with its publication were targets of violence. A bounty was offered for Rushdie’s death; in the years since Khomeini’s proclamation, this bounty has grown to well over $3 million.