The reason why books endure is because there are enough people who like them. It's the only reason why books last.
If you look at Indian movies, every time they wanted an exotic locale, they would have a dance number in Kashmir. Kashmir was India's fairyland. Indians went there because in a hot country you go to a cold place. People would be entranced by the sight of snow.
In this world without quiet corners, there can be no easy escapes from history, from hullabaloo, from terrible, unquiet fuss.
There is a widespread difficulty in the Muslim world, which has to do with how the people are taught about examining their own history. A whole range of stuff has been placed off limits.
In general, writers shouldn't be killed for what they write, though I can think of exceptions.
I only met Margaret Thatcher twice. The thing that I thought about meeting her was how extraordinarily intelligent she was. You really had to be on your game; otherwise, she'd make mincemeat of you.
One of the extraordinary things about human events is that the unthinkable becomes thinkable.
Rohinton Mistry's celebrated novel 'Such a Long Journey' was pulled off the syllabus of Mumbai University because local extremists objected to its content.
If there were Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, it makes it certain there would be a reprisal attack against the United States at some point.
The enemy for the fanatic is pleasure, which makes it extremely important to continue to indulge in pleasure. Dance madly. That is how you get rid of terrorism.
It's Kennedy's war, Vietnam. Lyndon Johnson got all the flak, but it's Kennedy's war.
The glamour of being forbidden must not be underestimated.
A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep.
A poet's work is to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep.
Free societies are societies in motion, and with motion comes friction.
The only way of living in a free society is to feel that you have the right to say and do stuff.
It's obvious that I come down on the side of free speech for anybody's work.
One of the problems with defending free speech is you often have to defend people that you find to be outrageous and unpleasant and disgusting.
What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.
Rock and roll music - the music of freedom frightens people and unleashes all manner of conservative defense mechanisms.