Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 180
180 -I wish that the (British) Government would make it a little easier for me to believe that they’re strongly and resolutely on my side. ’ August 1995 -Satanic Verses is a serious novel, a moral novel. . . It is neither filthy nor degrading nor abusive. . . It is a work of art. ’ September / October 1995 -We will not allow priests to tell us when we have to shut up. . . stirring things up is our proper function in any society. ’ -If you do not take risks, you can’t do anything interesting. ’ The Times, 09/2005 -But I have come to feel that what happened with The Satanic Verses was a kind of prologue and that now we’re in the main event,” The Times 09/2005 -Or take the biggest risk you can. So that if you’re going to go down, at least go down in flames. And, actually, I remember very clearly thinking, well, OK, then, I’ll do this because I can’t think of anything more artistically dangerous.