Author Salman Rushdie helped the 2015 Booker Prize winning writer Marlon James liberate his voice as a writer and “exploded” his perceptions on writing, the Jamaican novelist said today.
“Rushdie’s ‘Shame’ changed everything. It was the book that changed my narrow perception of how to write a novel. It exploded what I considered to be the rules of writing fiction,” James said on the sidelines of the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival here.
The author said writings by the British Indian novelist Rushdie, who had won a Booker for his “Midnight’s Children” helped him liberate his writerly voice, which he claimed had been straight-jacketed through reading Victorian literature like “Middlemarch” while growing up.
“Reading Salman liberated my voice as a writer in the same way as Kafka and Marquez liberated Salman’s rise,” the 45 year-old author who has published three novels said.
On his maiden visit to India, James had in a Facebook post ranted about problems he encountered in the airport.
However, the author soon put his initial hiccups away and said he loved the streets of Jaipur.
“I think a lot of people think I am judging a country by its airport, and I am like you haven’t seen my country’s airport. There are crappy airports everywhere. In fact I have been to beautiful airports in horrible cities! Its been great, wonderful.
“I absolutely love Jaipur.I went to the Wind palace (Hawa Mahal) yesterday, it was incredible. And just being on those streets is amazing. I might do some shopping today.