Ahmed Salman Rushdie , FRSL ( [ sælˈmɑːn_ˈrʊʃdi ] अहमद सलमान रुशदी , ; born 19 June 1947 ) is a British Indian novelist and essayist . His second novel , Midnight 's Children ( 1981 ) , won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was deemed to be `` the best novel of all winners '' on two separate occasions , marking the 25th and the 40th anniversary of the prize . His epic fourth novel , The Satanic Verses ( 1988 ) , was the subject of a major controversy , provoking protests from Muslims in several countries .
Salman Rushdie was the writer of an English-language novel.