Review: Salman Rushdie's Joseph Anton

Freedom of expression is a fundamental value and is in no way comparable to violence against others, author Salman Rushdie said during his latest book launch on Tuesday. The book, entitled Joseph Anton, is a memoir of the nine years he spent in hiding after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death warrant against him in 1989. Khomeini accused the British-Indian of blasphemy following the release of his novel The Satanic Verses.

Rushdie, an atheist, touched upon what he deems to be inappropriate reactions to the expression of free speech:

''The pope gets ridiculed every day, but you don't see Catholics organizing terrorist attacks around the world. I don't like the word Islamophobia. We must distinguish between attacking ideas and attacking people.

The response to words must always be more words. People are using offense as an excuse for revenge. But there is no intrinsic right to not be offended, it's absurd.''

The title of his latest literary contribution is a composite of the names of his two favorite authors, Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov. It is also the alias he adopted upon going into hiding.

Aside from writing books from a variety of genres, Rushdie has also been knighted. Be sure to check out his complete bio on Wikipedia.