Salman Rushdie has been in the news a lot lately but it’s clear that many people don’t know enough about him. Here’s a short primer in the shape of an FAQ list. WHO IS SALMAN RUSHDIE? Rushdie (pronounced Roosh-di) is a guy from South Bombay who moved to England and became an ad executive. Then he wrote a first novel that no one noticed. Then, in 1981, he wrote a second novel that was brilliant. Using the devices of magical realism, Midnight's Children mapped a whole alternative trajectory of the 'Indian Story' in the 20th century. The book became justly famous, and it's a marker for the beginning of contemporary Indian literature in English.