The Satanic Verses was published in 1988. Do you think that sort of book would be published now? The Number One Ladies Detective Agency is beautifully written by an elderly Scottish professor out Alexander McCall Smith, yeah. I'm far more interested in reading that book than it would be if it's about a barely disguised, older, white, Scottish male who happens to be the main character and writes novels for a living. And much less rusty because the tippy toe around Muslim sensibilities is extraordinary. You're afraid of their blowing you up. On a cultural level, terrorism has been effective. We're afraid of them, for good reason. Don't step on those people's toes.
If offence is against the rules, what hope is there for radical writing? Join world-famous author Lionel Shriver to discuss the decline of in-your-face fiction and the sinister rise of sensitivity readers.
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