Follies of the day
Sir: The events surrounding the publica- tion of The Satanic Verses are remarkably similar to those described in Act V of Beaumarchais' comedy, The Marriage of Figaro (or, The Follies of a Day.) Figaro, servant to Count Almaviva, re- counts an episode from his past life: ...I fudge up a play about the manners of the Seraglio. A Spanish author, I imagined, could attack Mahomet without scruple, but, immediately, some envoy.., complains that some of my lines offend the Sublime Porte, Persia, some part or other of the East Indies, the whole of Egypt, and the Kingdoms of Cyrenaica, Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco. Behold my play scuppered to please a set of Mohammedan princes — not one of whom I believe can read — who habitually beat a tattoo on our shoulders to the tune of 'Down with the Christian dogs!'
Tara Howard
3 Leighton Crescent, London NW5
Previous page
