Playing With String

Sir Salman Rushdie is one of my favorite writers. One of the reasons I love the way he writes is that it takes so much effort to read. After I get into the rhythm of his prose, I start to understand it more, but I can't bring myself to skim anything. Most writers don't write elegantly enough anymore to stop me from skimming. This doesn't serve to discredit them, but it speaks to Rushdie's genius. Once you start reading his books, you begin to understand the prose, then you start to think like him and maybe, if you're really lucky, you begin to write like him.

Bill O'Reilly is dull-witted and simple. He is not a good writer. He is not a thinker, but a yeller.


That's why this video makes me chuckle a little. Salman Rushdie tolerates his questions, but you can tell that he's batting his head about like a cat would do to a piece of string.


This video is fairly interesting, too. If you're interested in reading anything by Rushdie, pick up his new book The Enchantress of Florence. It's kind of a genre book in the same way the newest Chabon novel is. He comes off as a bit of a provocateur because of the upheaval over The Satanic Verses, but he just writes really creative, fun books. This is a man who really loves storytelling, which is evident if you read one of his books.