Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991

This is an excellent collection, you are correct about that. But it is *not* a good book to take to the gym with you.Even though the criticisms and essays are short, they require a bit of thought while reading. So you can't really pick it up and put it down while trying to run on a treadmill or likewise.I do recommend this book if you would like to get a feel for Rushdie and don't want to take on a full novel. I also recommend, "The Wizard of Oz (Bfi Film Classics) (Paperback)". It is a critique he wrote for Bfi and it's a fast read.

Rushdie writers movingly, bitingly and lovingly on a broad range of issues and topics. It helps if one is familiar with the authors he critiques; if not their works. The essays on the satanic verses are particularly important. Highly recommended.

Solid work from Rushdie

This is a beautifully written, thoughtful collection of essays.

There are several brilliant essays in this book and it's well worth the time

Great work, but terrible print quality in this edition.

I am not sure when, or where, I found my copy of this book. I do not know how long it sat, ignored, on my bookshelf. What I do know is, when I needed it, it was there, and literally fell into my hands. Of course, I knew of Mr. Rushdie, but had never read anything by him. My education has begun.Most of these 75 or so essays are short, some just a couple of pages, but all of them require thought while reading them, and several require thought after reading them; at least for me. As one reviewer noted, this is not a book to take to the gym. His insights on colonialism are fascinating. His insights on the Ghandis, Pakistan, cultures I knew little-to-nothing about were spell-binding. The articles about contemporary authors were not only interesting, but often humorous, and always enlightening.But the articles in the last section were, for me, the most eye-opening. These were the ones where he discussed the fatwa against him, what he meant when he wrote The Satanic Verses, and the duplicity of the imams even when they agreed with him, shook his hand, said they would help reverse the fatwa, and didn't. What is a human life worth? What is a man's word worth? What is a friend worth?The writing in these essays is often lyrical. It is always clear, and easily read and understood. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a curiosity about how our world, and those who inhabit it, think and work. Beautiful writing, and I can hardly wait for my copy of Step Across This Line... to arrive.

IMAGINARY HOMELANDS is a collection of Salman Rushdie's writings from 1981 to 1991. They include essays, book reviews, interviews, and random musings dating from the beginning of his popularity after his novel MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN until the third anniversary of the death fatwa pronounced on him by the Ayatollah Khomeini for his book THE SATANIC VERSES.As with any collection of essays, IMAGINARY HOMELANDS is inconsistent and not every essay will interest every reader. However, there's sure to be a lot of gems here for fans of Rushdie. The literary legacy of the 1980's is quickly being erased from the popular memory, and readers today are forgetting the output of that underappreciated decade. There are reviews here range from one of Graham Greene's last novels to physics superstar Stephen Hawking's A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. Reading IMAGINARY HOMELANDS today is important to refresh one's knowledge of the 1980's from a literary standpoint. Also, Rushdie proves himself again a man deeply troubled by oppression. He often mentions Pakistan's ruthless US-supported General Zia, and in "A Conversation with Edward Said" deals with the issue of Palestinian identity. His review of V.S. Naipaul's "Among the Believers", a journal of travels through the new Islamic states that sprung up in the 80's, and his two essays on the reaction of Muslims to THE SATANIC VERSES are helpful works to read in this time when dealing with Islamic extremism is such a driving force in international relations. Critics have often found Salman Rushdie hard to classify, wondering if he is an Indian or British writer, or a "Commonwealth" novelist, and Rushdie confronts the madness of classifying everything in "There Is No Such Thing As Commonwealth Literature".If you enjoyed greatly the wry irony of THE SATANIC VERSES and other Rushdie novels, IMAGINARY HOMELANDS may interest you. While it won't engage the average reader, fans of Rushdie will get a lot out of this collection.

An excellent read and highly recommended.

A collection of essays is always fun read -- many pieces connect and stay with us, and makes us narrate to an interested friend. Imaginary Homelands is profound, insightful, provoking and poignant in its content. Collection of seventy-odd beautifully crafted essays -- every word aptly chosen -- has almost something to interest each of us, with topics as diverse as cinema to politics, Gunter Grass to Satyajit Ray to Indira Gandhi, showcasing the immense range of Rushdie's intellect and erudition. A book worth studying -- don't just read. Get it!

Boring. Can be skipped.

If you love Salman Rushdie's writing, you will love this! His essays are thought provoking and at the same time fun to read! His essays deal with various topics ranging from literature to political issues. It's definitely an informative read!

Not sure if all articles are worth reading, but the good ones make up for the journeyman articles