1. Haroun and the Sea of Stories
By: Salman Rushdie
Dedicated to Zafar Rushdie

2. Zafar born to Salman and his first wife, Clarissa Luard
during father’s courtship with Elizabeth West, accused of stealing her gold bracelet
eventually cleared, but tensions remained during Rushdie and West’s marriage

3. Zafar
November 2014 banned from driving 17 months and fined £720 after being caught in BMW two and a half times over legal blood-alcohol limit 100- yards from his front door in Hampstead
said to have been “raising money for charity” which “wasn’t easy” so had gone out for drinks with friends after work before driving home
two days before London Triathlon as part of fundraising campaign to run 15 half-marathons and triathlons to raise money for inner-city children’s charity
married classical singer Natalie Coyle in September 2015 in New York after 4 years of being together

4. Influence
wrote Haroun and the Sea of Stories in dark early days of fatwa for Zafar, nine years old at the time
is doing the same for youngest son, Milan
reason: criticized by son for not writing books children could read
separated from his son during the time he wrote this book
in hiding from fatwa for being accused of writing novels blasphemous against Islam
forced to leave for three years; bookstores carrying his book were bombed and copies were burned

5. Influence
written as something children would enjoy but adults would understand
surface focuses on relationship between father and son (Haroun represents Zafar)
deeper meaning focuses on importance of stories and storytelling