SALMAN RUSHDIE: You’ll be able to’t actually afford to consider criticism once you’re writing the e-book. It is truly simply too laborious to put in writing the e-book, to attempt to additionally second guess how folks will reply to it. However I believe I’ve fairly a very good sense of readers. And I believe as I’ve bought older I’ve turn into an increasing number of fascinated with precisely how folks learn and what’s more likely to put them off and what’s more likely to entice them. And I’ve turn into kind of extra aware of the reader, you recognize. I believe after I was youthful I used to be simply doing my factor and if readers confirmed up that was fantastic and if not that was fantastic too. I had a form of very a lot harder perspective in direction of it. However now I am actually fascinated with studying, within the phenomenon of studying and the way, if you happen to give folks info within the right sequence, you possibly can inform them very difficult issues, you recognize, they usually’ll discover these issues accessible and relatable they usually’ll wish to discover out. I imply, as an example, in my case, I’ve at all times thought that comedy helps lots. I believe if you may make folks chortle you possibly can inform them nearly something. And if you cannot make them chortle there’s not lots they wish to take heed to. In order that’s one factor. However critics, I imply, a form of vital response I actually, you recognize, I am unable to take into consideration. I imply, you get to this age you notice that there are individuals who is not going to like what you do it doesn’t matter what you do.
So I do know that I may write the perfect e-book I’ve ever written and there will probably be some individuals who simply will not prefer it and that is honest sufficient, you recognize. That is why there are various totally different sorts of books in bookstores, so folks can select what they like. So I do not trouble with that an excessive amount of. I actually do not trouble with vital response. I additionally suppose you get to some extent once you’ve written a variety of books the place you turn into fairly clear concerning the course you wish to go in. So my view is: I might wish to go this manner in the intervening time and I actually hope that you just’d like to return alongside. I actually hope that you’d benefit from the journey and so forth and so forth, however if you happen to, for no matter purpose, cannot come alongside on that journey then I am nonetheless going this manner. And you then simply take what comes. I believe, on the entire, I’ve had a fairly even break. I may inform you normally prematurely the place I will get trashed and I am normally proper. However I kind of do not care.
I imply, I keep in mind in a form of pre-Web age there was some extent the place numerous literary magazines used to publish evaluations anonymously and most famously the Instances Literary Complement would by no means identify its critics. The thought being that it was merely the Instances Literary Complement that was giving its opinion of your work slightly than any particular person. After which at a sure level, I assume within the ’80s they modified that coverage and began naming the critics. And instantly, instantly, the evaluations turned way more courteous as a result of the individual, the critic’s identify was connected.
There is not any doubt that the way in which by which we reside in and with the web is semi-fictional. For a begin, folks use false names on a regular basis so persons are always working beneath pseudonyms and due to this fact they’ll invent selves; they’ll invent selves to be on the Web with out anyone questioning that. And I believe that may be good and dangerous. I believe clearly what occurs in components of the world that are much less open societies than this one, that anonymity permits folks to precise themselves with out concern. And I believe there is a form of playfulness to it, you recognize. You invent your self some loopy identify and you’ll maybe be a barely totally different individual in that persona than you may have the ability to be as your self. So I believe there’s lots to be mentioned for it. I imply I like each the playfulness and the form of liberation points of it.
The one form of fear I’ve about it, about some nameless customers of the web is that that is what creates in a manner the phenomenon of the troll. Since you might be utterly safe behind the display of your imaginary identify you might be very, very impolite. I concern typically that we’re enabling a era of very impolite individuals who can discuss on the web in a manner that they’d by no means discuss in the event that they have been within the room with you. In order that’s my fear about it. However I believe on the entire, you recognize, it’s a playful house. It is a house the place folks wish to be ingenious and imaginative about themselves and the expertise permits them to do it.
