i remember all the hoo-haa at the time when that book came out.
i didn't read it, didn't sound like the kind of thing i would like.
at that time i vaguely thought the author was vain and arrogant for writing something that he knew would cause such offence.
many people died around the world in protests.
he didn't seem to properly consider the effect it would have, negative effect, causing riots in which people were killed, probably bystanders, also on his own wife and son.
perhaps he was naive. yet so obviously clever and well read generally, people can have blind spots.
i thought why didn't he choose to write something else; he is obviously a very accomplished writer.
then quite by chance, watching bbc programmes on the partition of india, i saw midnight's children. and there was interviews with him at the time he won the booker prize for that book.
he looked and sounded quite different; strangely, similar to a friend of mine at the time.
so i felt more sympathetic towards him.
now this terrible news. i do hope he pulls through.