6 Most Controversial Books of All Time

Bangalore: “Within any important issue, there are always aspects no one wishes to discuss,” said novelist George Orwell. Similarly books and controversies also go hand in hand. There are many books that have been surrounded by controversies for various reasons. Here are 6 such controversial books of all time.

The Satanic Verses:
This is one of the most controversial books in recent times. ‘The Satanic Verses’ by Salman Rushdie was first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. This is Rushdie’s fourth book and as with his previous books, Rushdie used thrilling realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the satanic verses, a group of supposed Quranic verses that permit intercessory prayers to be made to three Pagan Meccan goddesses: Allat, Uzza, and Manat. The part of the narrative that deals with the "satanic verses" was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari.

In the UK the book received positive reviews and was a 1988 Booker Prize Finalist and won the 1988 Whitbread Award for novel of the year. But, major controversy followed as conservative Muslims accused it of profanity and mocking their faith. The outrage among some Muslims resulted in a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death that was issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, in 1989. Though Rushdie himself has never been attacked, extremists have attacked several connected individuals such as translator Hitoshi Igarashi that led to his death.

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