Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a wonder tale about the way we live now. The novel is set in New York. The title is a reference to the 1001 nights Scheherezade spent telling stories in the Arabian Nights. It is a rich and multifaceted work that blends history, mythology and a timeless love story to bring alive a world that has been plunged into an age of unreason. Sir Ahmad Salman Rushdie was born in Bombay (then British) India into a Muslim family of Kashmiri descent. His father adopted the name Rushdie in honour of Averroes. His first career was as a copywriter for an advertising agency. His second novel, Midnight's Children won the 1981 Booker Prize. His fourth novel, The Satanic Verses was the center of a major controversy provoking protests from Muslims in several countries. Death threats were made against him, including a fatwā calling for his assassination. Since 2000, Rushdie has lived in the United States where he has worked for Emory University.