Daniel Kehlmann made a nice suggestion in the current print edition of “Zeit”: “Buy the ‘Satanic Verses’ now”. Because he wants the book to appear on the bestseller lists again, so that the “enemies of art and laughter” may understand what “inner freedom” is. However, this suggestion is probably no longer needed. Because on the day of the assassination, quite a few people seemed to have had the idea of buying and reading Salman Rushdie’s novel of fate again.
In any case, at Dussmann the copies of the pocket edition, which were apparently in stock, were sold out in no time at all. The Berlin culture department store immediately ordered more, but could only put things off: it will take seven to ten days for the books to arrive. It was no different in the “Buchbox” branch in Prenzlauer Berg. There was talk of a three-week waiting period and that we should please try Dussmann. It’s a good thing that we’re in the digital age and that the “Satanic Verses” are of course also available as an e-book.
8th at Apple
Rushdie’s novel is in the German-language btb paperback edition in the many Amazon rankings at number 195 in the category “Literature & Fiction” (here on one, by the way: “The Song of the Crayfish” by Delia Owens), at number 285 in the Kindle Shop, ranked 48th in the Kindle Store in the Contemporary Literature subcategory, 55th in e-books with Audible audio book – all very good places compared to the German edition of his latest novel Quichotte. In the “Spiegel” ranking, “Satanic Verses” is not in the top 20 for paperbacks, of course, in terms of delivery time. However, Apple, where we got our copy from, ranked 8th in the Fiction and Literature category (again, number one: The Owens Novel).
So Rushdie is back on the charts, an effect that is both positive and cynical. And further actions will contribute to this, such as the call for a “worldwide reading” from the Rushdie work on September 29 by the Berlin International Literature Festival and the suggestion by the author Madame Nielsen to publicly carry “The Satanic Verses” around on all paths by this day and read from it.
PEN Berlin and the Berliner Ensemble have also become active and are organizing a solidarity reading with Seyran Ate on Sunday, August 21, from 6:30 p.m. in the Berliner Ensembleş, Priya Basil, Zoë Beck, Thea Dorn, Can Dündar, Eren Güvercin, Eva Menasse, Yassin Musharbash, Sven Regener, Judith Schalansky, Günter Wallraff and Deniz Yücel. possible
Source: Tagesspiegel
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
