Salman Rushdie against Meloni: “I advise her to grow up and be less childish”

Giorgia Meloni? “I would give this lady advice to be less childish and to grow.” The return of Salman Rushdie in Italy for the first time afterattack immediately on 12 August 2022 coincides with a criticism of the Prime Minister. Guest of Book Fair of Turin, the British-naturalized Indian writer remembers the trial he suffered Roberto Saviano for defining “bastard” the leader of the Brothers of Italy, which led to the conviction for defamation of the author of Gomorrahand attacks: “I heard about litigation. At my personal risk I must say that politicians should do it skin a little tougher because a politician nowadays in addition to having great power it also has a lot of authority – was Rushdie’s reasoning – So it is normal that someone among the population talks about it directly, perhaps badeven using a bad word like the one Roberto used.” Hence the “advice” to “be less childish and grow up”.

The author of The satanic verses he lost his sight from a eye and can no longer use one hand after being stabbed in New York, an attack that left him with severed nerves and 15 other wounds to his back and torso. The writer was on stage at the Chautauqua Institution giving a speech on artistic freedom when he was attacked by Hadi Matar, 24 years old, believed by the police to be close to Shiite extremism. In court Matar had pleaded not guilty, explaining that he had tried to kill the writer because his writings were deemed offensive to Islam. In 1989 the then Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini he let out one fatwa ordering Rushdie’s killing: he found him guilty of blasphemy towards Muhammad.

With Saviano, Rushdie will present his latest book “Coltello. Meditations after an attempted assassination”, with which he recounted his terrible experience: “This return to Italy for me means a further victory. I had been here a month before the attack, we had returned to the USA shortly before. We had been to Sardinia, Umbria, Capri, a bit in Milan and Rome. The time had just ended pandemic and it was pleasant to be able to return to such a beautiful country. Today’s return to Italy is the closing of the circle,” said the writer. “I will stay in Italy for a while, then I will go to visit other European countries. Now it’s better not to be in America – he added – Other books? I really hope so, I don’t know what it will be. I published two books in two years, now I’m taking a break.”