Salman Rushdie supports Mexican journalists

Salman Rushdie expressed his support for the Mexican journalists facing constant death threats; and spoke about the role of the writer in turbulent times: "The role of the writer is to be genuine and to be faithful to his talent".

After a lecture, that marked the opening of the Literary Lounge of the International Book Fair of Guadalajara, and receiving the Carlos Fuentes medal in a brief ceremony headed by his widow, Silvia Lemus, Rushdie also spoke about his appropriation of "One thousand and one nights" in his new book "Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights."

During a late press conference, he expressed support to Mexican journalist under death threat and said that PEN International, the worldwide association of writers founded in London in 1921 is attentive to the actions against communicators.

He pointed out at the stories of repression he met a year ago when he visited Xalapa for the Hey Festival, expressing that they appeared harsh and terrible for him.

As for the role of writers in violent times, he expressed that he could not define the role of the writer, "because I do not want to make a statement where it appears that I tell other writers what to do, (but) it seems to me that the role of the writer is to be genuine and to be faithful to his talents".

"We live in very difficult times, whether you're a journalist or you are a creative writer. But we all live in the same world and we all think about the world in which we live, but what we think or what we write about depends on each author, on each writer," he said.