Salman Rushdie gives his first interview in the Netherlands on 30 September during the ILFU (International Literature Festival Utrecht) after the attempt on his life last year. Journalist Chris Keulemans and writer Abdelkader Benali will speak to Rushdie in TivoliVredenburg via a livestream connection about his new novel Victory City and his extensive body of work. Rushdie last performed live on stage in Utrecht in 2018.
ILFU welcomes Rushdie's participation. Director Michael Stoker: "We think back fondly to his last visit to ILFU, five years ago. It is always a pleasure to hear Rushdie talk about his work. Of course, we would have preferred that that attack had never happened and he was just back on stage live, but we are grateful and honoured that he can now attend online."
Rushdie speaks at ILFU following the publication of Victory City, translated by Karina van Santen and Martine Vosmaer and the reissue of Midnight Children, The Devil's Verses and Joseph Anton by his Dutch publisher Pluim.
Victory City is an epic tale of a woman who breathes life into a mythical realm, only to be destroyed by it over the centuries. According to The New York Times, the novel shows "why Rushdie's work will always matter."
The interview with Rushdie takes place during the festival day 'Exploring Stories' at TivoliVredenburg where also Jeanette Winterson, Ali Smith, Connie Palmen, David van Reybrouck, Francine Oomen, Amitav Gosh and Kamila Shamsie to be seen.
ILFU takes place this year from 23 September to 7 October, with performances by the likes of. Mensje van Keulen, Maggie Nelson, Philippe Claudel and Georgi Gospodinov, and major events like the NK Poetry Slam, the Young Adult festival and the 40th Night of Poetry. The festival opens on 24 September with the inauguration of Babs Gons as the new Poet Laureate.
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