'That's the thing a novel can do, it can remind us of the good': Salman Rushdie on his new book Quichotte

Originally published on September 3, 2019

If you've read Don Quixote, you'll remember that it tells the story of an aging knight who sets off on a quest to find the love of his life.  

In Salman Rushdie's latest novel, Quichotte, the author reframes the classic tale to examine the devastation of addiction, and the tug-of-war between fact and fiction in our current world.

Considered one of the greatest novelists living today, Rushdie is best known for writing Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses and The Golden House. He's the recipient of the Booker Prize and many other awards. 

He joined q's Tom Power to discuss the impact of reality television on our lives and why he felt he needed to write about the opioid crisis in his latest book. 

"That's the thing that a novel can do, it can remind us of the good," said Rushdie. "It can remind us that even at a time when we seem surrounded and overwhelmed by craziness and evil there is such a thing as the good and there are people, including ourselves, who strive for that." 

Rushdie's new novel Quichotte is out on Saturday, Sept. 7. You can catch him in conversation with Candy Palmater at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto on Monday, Sept. 30.

— Produced by ​Diane Eros