IMAGINARY HOMELANDS is a collection of reviews, articles, interviews and papers written during the years 1981 to 1991. They cover a wide range of subjects, including political, social and literary topics. However, Rushdie's main concern is the cultural plight of the migrant, so there are several pieces on this subject.
Rushdie's writing is usually attractive, provocative and incisive. I love the way he writes about literature. Nevertheless, I found the three concluding pieces, published in 1990, so moving and sad, that I almost forgot how witty and passionate his writing can be. In these essays he writes eloquently about the fanatical and politically motivated reaction to THE SATANIC VERSES in parts of the Islamic world. I wasn't aware that one of the book's translators had been killed. Not to mention the attacks other translators, bookstore assistants and publishers suffered as well.
This collection celebrates literature, the imagination and the right of free expression in Rushdie's inimitable way. Some essays may be a bit dated but his insights on racial prejudice and religious fundamentalism are still worth reading.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, having never read anything by Salman Rushdie before, but I really enjoyed it. I knew that the book comprised a collection of essays but I thought that they would be all following and exploring the same theme, so I was a bit surprised when reviews of books written by other authors also appeared. Throughout it all though, I thoroughly enjoyed being exposed to the innermost thoughts and beautiful writing of this famous writer. Even when he spoke about books or authors I’d forgotten about, never heard of, or had any interest in learning more about, I felt like I learned something from him that made me know more about the topic at hand and about myself as well. I think I got a lot from the many discussions of the migrant experience and the mutability of memory and the way it changes reality. Will definitely be checking out his other works and some of the authors who came up in the book.

I like his fiction better than his non-fiction, but this one is still worth a read.

Salman Rushdie - unul dintre autorii care scrie studii remarcabile despre exil, despre alteritate, despre ceea ce înseamnă să pleci de „acasă” în căutarea unui nou „acasă”.
El răspunde la una dintre întrebările care îi frământă pe majoritatea exilaților/ expatriaților: imaginile fixate de mintea lor este aceeași cu cea reală? Ce mai este real, ce a devenit o iluzie?
O carte despre curajul de a se autoanaliza, de a vorbi despre ceea ce mintea umană proiectează ca fiind real și, în realitate se îndepărtează foarte mult de realitate…

Our lives teach us who we are.

Simply the best literary nonfiction book I have read till now. Every essay is an work of art ranging from an insightful critique of a contemporary author to a brilliant diagnosis of political/social crisis. The prose is witty, mordant as befits an author of his stature. Rushdie even appears to messianic in some cases and indeed some of his premonitions have already come true.

I would urge everyone to read it.

For the time being, I need to shelve this. The view points are excellent and the writing is wonderful but somehow I feel incapable of warming up to the ideas.

It is not the time for this book....yet !