Salman Rushdie Age, Wiki and Bio

Salman Rushdie

Quick Info

ProfessionNovelist, Essayist
NationalityBritish
Date of Birth19/06/1947
Age77 years
BirthplaceBombay (now Mumbai), British India

Bio/Wiki

Real nameAhmed Salman Rushdie

Physical Stats & More

Height170 cm (5’ 7”)
Weight85 kg (187 lbs)
Eye ColorGrey
Hair ColorSalt and Pepper (Semi-Bald)

Educational Qualification(s)

SchoolCathedral and John Connon School, Bombay Rugby School, Warwickshire, England
College/UniversityKing's College, University of Cambridge, England • In 1968, obtained a Master’s Degree in History at King’s College, University of Cambridge, England.

Personal Life

Religion/Religious ViewsSalman Rushdie follows different religions including Atheisicm, Religious Satire, Humanism. He has different religious views.
EthnicityIndian (Kashmiri)
HobbiesReading, Horse Riding

Relationships & More

Marital StatusDivorced
Affairs/Girlfriends
  • Riya Sen, Indian Actress
  • Rosario Dawson, Hollywood Actress
  • Olivia Wilde, Hollywood Actress
  • Pia Glenn, Actress
  • Topaz Page-Green, Model
  • Nikki Milovanovic, Canadian Pop-star (40 years younger than him)

Family

FatherAnis Ahmed Rushdie (Lawyer-turned-Businessman)
MotherNegin Bhatt (Teacher)
SiblingsHe has one brother and three sisters. The name of his younger sister is Sameen Rushdie.
SpouseClarissa Luard (m. 1976-1987) Marianne Wiggins, American Novelist (m. 1988-1993) Elizabeth West (m. 1997-2004) Padma Lakshmi, Indian-American Model & Actress (m. 2004-2007)
ChildrenSons: Zafar (born in 1979) and Milan (born in 1997)

Career

DebutNovel: Grimus (1975, Science Fiction)
Awards, Honours, Achievements
  • Awarded the European Union's Aristeion Prize in 1996.
  • Chosen as the "author of the year" in both Britain and Germany in 1996.
  • Awarded the Booker Prize for his second novel, Midnight's Children, in 1971.
  • Bestowed with the "Booker of Bookers" for the best novel among the Booker Prize winners for Fiction; awarded at its 25th anniversary.
  • Honoured with the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France).
  • Won the 2010 Golden Pen Award.
  • In June 2023, he was awarded a prestigious German prize for his literary work and for his resolve and positive attitude in the face of constant danger.

Favourites

Authors/PoetsFranz Kafka, Charles Dickens, James Joyce
Books
  • "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • "Genghis Khan" by Jack Weatherford
  • "The White Album" by Joan Didion
  • "Humboldt’s Gift" by Saul Bellow
  • "Clear Light of Day" by Anita Desai

Some Lesser Known Facts

Salman Rushdie smokes.
Salman Rushdie drinks alcohol.
Salman Rushdie is an Indian born British-American essayist and novelist.
His main genres of writing are stories on the Indian subcontinent, magical realism, and historical fiction focusing on migrations and connections between Eastern and Western civilizations.
In 1981, his second novel won the Man Booker Prize.
His fourth novel, 'The Satanic Verses', sparked controversies leading to a fatwa of assassination against him.
He received death threats from Ayatollah Khomeini over his book.
Rushdie was born in Bombay to a Muslim family of Kashmiri heritage. His father, Anis Rushdie, faced dismissal from the ICS due to forged documents.
After college, he tried acting, production, and writing before finding success with ‘Midnight’s Children’.
Salman Rushdie's debut book, 'Grimus', struggled to sell copies in 1975.
In 1983, he published 'Shame', followed by 'The Jaguar Smile' in 1987.
Rushdie suggests writers should have a strong relationship with language.
The publication of 'The Satanic Verses' brought dangers and forced him to live under police protection.
He continued writing children's stories amidst the chaos.
Iran's peaceful relations with Britain in 1998 brought relief.
Rushdie was rated the 13th greatest British writer by Times Magazine in 2008.
He has worked in Hollywood movies and TV shows.
Rushdie headed PEN American Center and founded the PEN World Voices Festival.
Known for blending magical realism with historical fiction, Rushdie is critical of Cultural relativism.
He was appointed as the Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2008.
Salman Rushdie has written various books exploring betrayal and love.
He released 'The Enchantress of Florence' in 2008 and 'Luka and the Fire of Life' in 2010.
His books were the first to feature custom soundtracks in 2012.
Rushdie's writing spans magic realism, satire, and postcolonialism.
In his teens, he moved to England, navigating cultural differences.
He condemned the Hebdo Attack in 2015.
'The Golden House' and 'Quichotte' are among his works.
Salman Rushdie is an atheist and a humanist.
He supports feminism and defends satirical art.
Rushdie is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur.
He laid low for a decade after the fatwa in 1988.
Salman Rushdie shares insightful literary and philosophical quotes.
He values writing's impact on society and narratives.