Date: Feb 27, 2007

Salman Rushdie to Speak at Hofstra

British-Indian Essayist and Novelist will discuss, “The Role of the Novelist in the 21st Century”

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY –Salman Rushdie will speak at Hofstra University on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the Monroe Lecture Center Theater location on California Avenue on the South Campus. The lecture is sponsored by The Donald J. Sutherland University Lecture in the Liberal Arts in conjunction with Hofstra University Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Hofstra University School of Communication and the Professional Organization in Speech Education (P.O.I.S.E.).

Mr. Rushdie has received many awards for his writings, including the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel (twice) and the European Union’s Aristeion Prize for Literature. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and holds the rank of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres – France’s highest artistic honor.

Although he achieved success with many of his novels, it was the controversial The Satanic Verses (1988) that made his name a household word. The author was placed under a fatwa (death sentence) by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 for blasphemy in handling the character of the prophet Muhammad in The Satanic Verses.  The novel was banned in India and throughout the Muslim world, which led to widespread demonstrations where copies of the novel were burned. Mr. Rushdie was forced into hiding, moving from one safe house to another with the assistance of the British authorities and police until 1998, when Iran lifted the fatwa.

Admission to the event is free and open to the Hofstra community only, including current and past students with a valid Hofstra ID, faculty, administrators and employees. Please come early as seating is limited.

Hofstra University provides a dynamic college experience tailored for innately ambitious, outcome-oriented individuals. Students find their edge at Hofstra, through small classes, a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence, cutting edge technology, extensive library resources, internships and special educational programs that appeal to their interests and abilities.  

For more info visit the Hofstra website at www.hofstra.edu or call 516-463-6818.