Emory to open Salman Rushdie archive

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Emory University will open to the public next month the archive of Salman Rushdie, the celebrated British Indian author who is considered a world literature master.

The multimedia exhibition will run from Feb. 26 through Sept. 26 at the Woodruff Library. Rushdie, who won the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel "Midnight's Children", placed his archive at Emory in 2006. It includes manuscripts, drawings, journals, letters, photographs and digital materials.

Rushdie has been a distinguished writer in residence at Emory since 2007. He spends about five weeks on campus teaching, advising students and participating in other activities.

Emory has planned a series of events to complement the exhibit, “A World Mapped by Stories: The Salman Rushdie Archive," including a symposium with Rushdie and others on Feb. 26. Rushdie also will give public lectures and readings.

"The Rushdie archive signifies two major trends of our time: the globalization of arts and letters, and the digital world in which contemporary writers and artists, such as Mr. Rushdie, are now composing their masterpieces," Richard Luce, vice provost and director of Emory University Libraries, said in a news release.

To emphasize that digital aspect, the college designed the exhibit to include computers that emulate Rushdie's desktop so people can see how he worked.

Information about the exhibit and related events will be posted online at: www.emory.edu/rushdie.