The Satanic Verses

Daring, controversial and brilliant, few books have had the global cultural impact of Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses. By turns satirical and playful, fantastical and bitingly relevant, Rushdies fictional account of the history of Islam incited riots by Islamist groups and led to the orthodox Iranian government issued a fatw_ against Rushdie, which has never been officially lifted. 20 years on from its original release, the book remains freshly relevant: as a challenge to censorship, a warning about the consequences of suppressing creative expression and a masterwork of fiction. As the Guardian writes, above all, perhaps, it dramatises the conviction that there is nothing more sacred than the freedom to question what is sacred. Twenty years on, it's a principle that urgently needs to be remembered.