NEW YORK (AP) — Salman Rushdie, a U.S. citizen for a decade, is set to receive a prestigious literary honor—a National Book Award medal for lifetime achievement.
Rushdie, who is originally from Mumbai (previously Bombay), shared, “Even though I spent many years here before becoming a citizen, obtaining citizenship brought a deeper sense of belonging to the U.S. And I think this award reflects something similar.” Now 79, he moved to England in his teens and currently resides in New York City with his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, also an author.
He recalled hearing that when Raymond Carver received a major American award, he felt like he had become part of the literary scene. Rushdie thought, “Maybe I’m out there in American literature now,” during a recent Zoom conversation.
Kiran Desai, a long-time friend and fellow author who also immigrated from India, will present Rushdie with his medal at the National Book Awards event in Manhattan on November 18. Rushdie will become the 39th recipient of the award for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, which is presented by the National Book Foundation. Notably, he’s only the fourth winner not born in the U.S., following notable figures like Saul Bellow from Canada, Chile’s Isabel Allende, and Sweden’s Art Spiegelman.
During the ceremony, the foundation will also honor Perri Klass, a pediatrician and activist, with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. Previous recipients include Maya Angelou and Terry Gross. Interestingly, Dolly Parton, a well-known advocate for books and literacy, declined the award several times, stating she didn’t need the recognition, according to the foundation’s executive director, Ruth Dickey. Sadly, Parton passed away last month at 80.
Rushdie, when asked about his legacy, quoted his late friend Martin Amis, expressing his wish to leave a shelf full of books with his name on them. He has written over 20 books, including the Booker Prize-winning “Midnight’s Children,” often regarded as one of the best contemporary novels. Of course, many also remember him for “The Satanic Verses,” where references to the Prophet Muhammad sparked worldwide protests and led to a fatwa from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini calling for his death.
In recent years, Rushdie seemed to be out of danger until he was stabbed multiple times while onstage at a literary festival in New York in 2022. The assailant, Hadi Matar, was found guilty of attempted murder by a state jury and also convicted of transnational terrorism at the federal level. Since then, Rushdie has authored a memoir detailing the attack, titled “Knife,” and a collection of stories called “The Eleventh Hour.”
His sole competitive National Book Award nomination was for “Knife” in 2024, as earlier works like “Midnight’s Children” were published before he became eligible. A documentary by Alex Gibney based on “Knife” is set to release on September 17.
Dickey stated, “Salman Rushdie’s expansive body of work illustrates literature’s ability to craft narratives, create connections, and bridge divides across cultures and generations. His writing provides readers with unflinchingly honest stories rich in cultural and geographical diversity.”
Rushdie considers himself a writer deeply connected to urban settings, viewing his life in three acts: South Asia, London, and New York. The fatwa may have cast him as a “reclusive” figure for years, but he actually thrives in public, embracing the vibrancy and complexity of city life.
While much of his writing is set outside the U.S.—with “Midnight’s Children” being a seminal book on postcolonial India—Rushdie believes that one can be an “American” writer without limiting their stories to the U.S. He aligns himself with the rich tradition of immigrant authors, whether it’s Bellow or contemporary voices like Jhumpa Lahiri and Yiyun Li.
He remarked, “I was an immigrant writer in England, and now I’m one in America. American writers come from everywhere, right? There’s a long list. For instance, Vietnamese writers and African writers. I think that diversity has greatly enriched American literature during my lifetime.”
