Salman Rushdie became embroiled in a literary row over the weekend after he rated a number of books on the website Goodreads thinking these would be private when in fact the information was viewable to the public.
The Satanic Verses author’s list soon began to circulate online with many viewers aghast to read his mediocre three star rating of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird alongside the singular star given to Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim. Other critically acclaimed books that ranked low include Elizabeth Bowen’s The Death of the Heart and Max Beerbohm’s Zuleika Dobson. F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby did at least manage to make the grade with a full five star rating.
Rushdie has since come forward to defend his choices, explaining that he hadn’t meant to either recommend books or put readers off titles. Instead he had simply hoped that the site would use his ratings to recommend literary works based on his preferences.
If Goodreads hope to appease the author, they should take on board his latest disclosure ahead of suggesting any books. Defending himself on Twitter from a barrage of criticism, Rushdie has stated that one book that is most definitely a masterpiece whichever way you look at it is Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, the children’s book.
.@Cliff_M85 @ClaireEFallon In fact I love Green Eggs and Ham. I really love them, Sam I am.
— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) April 6, 2015
What ever will the critics make of that?
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