Fiction saved my life

Symbol, victim, blasphemer, target — Salman Rushdie, it seems, is anything people need him to be. As his new novel The Enchantress of Florence is published, the writer talks to Boyd Tonkin

IN Salman Rushdie’s tenth novel, the great Mughal emperor Akbar conjures up his favourite wife by the sheer force of imagination alone: "The creation of real life from a dream was a superhuman act, usurping the prerogative of the gods." Non-existent, but still solid enough to breed fiery resentment from her rival queens, Jodha in The Enchantress of Florence (Jonathan Cape) can stand for all the heretical coups.

Home is where the theatre is
Feel like a night out at the movies? All you have to do is head for the mini theatre in your house. Mukesh Khosla tells you what it takes to set up a customised theatre
NO more rushing through your dinner, no more driving to the movie hall, no more parking hassles, no more battling your way through to the ticket counter, no more glum faces at seeing the "House Full" sign. Now all you have to do is to move into the special screening room in your own home, select a movie of your choice, pop some corn, open a can of cola or juice and watch your own mini theatre.