Salman Rushdie slams book publishers over censorship

Making James Bond politically correct is “almost comical,” the author of ‘The Satanic verses’ insisted. British author and freedom of expression advocate Salman Rushdie has blasted publishers who amend old books with the stated goal of protecting modern readers from being offended. He argued that oversensitive readers can always opt for something else. Rushdie addressed the issue on Monday evening while receiving the prestigious British Book Award for Freedom to Publish. In his televised acceptance speech, which he delivered via a video link from New York, the writer sounded the alarm over what he perceives as a growing acceptance of censorship in Western nations.