The Power of the PEN

Rushdie again. He's the moving force behind 'PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature'. Last week, 125 writers from 45 countries converged on New York City for a series of series of readings and discussions showcasing literature and ideas from around the globe.

An extract from an interview with the man, featured in the PEN American Centre website:

"The real world is no longer describable inside terms of naturalistic fiction. It’s become too big, ugly, strange, distorted, weird. Every age in literary history needs to forge the tools with which to describe the reality outside the window. Right now, that reality is so bizarre that it’s not surprising writers have used bizzare means."

Ah, that explains The Last Song of Dusk.