Rushdie, Oprah to Attend Jaipur Lit Fest Jan From Jan. 20–22

Celebrated writer Salman Rushdie and US television celebrity host Oprah Winfrey will attend the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival from Jan 20–24, 2012.

Rushdie will address a literary session, "Midnight's Children" named after his landmark Man Booker Prize winning 1981 novel, anchored by noted writer Hari Kunzru at the Diggi Palace in Jaipur.

On Jan 21, Rushdie will participate in a group discussion, "Inglish, Amlish, Hinglish: The Chutneyfication of English," featuring Rita Kothari, Tarun Tejpal and Ira Pande.

The following day, the 65-year-old Rushdie will address "Shehar aur Sapna: The City as a Dream" with Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif, writers Aman Sethi, Meenal Bhagel and Uday Prakash.

Born in 1947 in Mumbai, Rushdie courted controversy with his book "The Satanic Verses" published in 1988. The book was banned in many countries and in 1999, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a "fatwa" against the writer for his alleged "blasphemous portrayal of Islam."