Rushdie In Paraty

It's been ages (okay, less than two weeks) since one posted anything about Salman Rushdie. So here's a report on the author's appearance at the Paraty International Literary Festival in Brazil for the launch of Shalimar The Clown in Portuguese:

"The [9/11] attacks reinforced his feeling, he explains, that the world has become a tiny place where all stories crisscross and intermingle. 'Every writer I know understands that you need to rethink,' Rushdie tells reporters before going onstage to talk about his work. Sept. 11 'showed me that the stories of the world are hopelessly entwined with each other. Because of the shrinking planet and the consequences of mass migration and geopolitics and so on, we all live in this world where our stories are no longer separate. [Before], one could mostly tell a story about India. You can't think like that anymore.'

" 'If you had my life, you wouldn't want to write about it,' Rushdie tells the audience with a smile. 'Enough already of my life!' A few moments later he is off again, shuffling around Paraty, largely unknown, and very happy to be so."