Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story “The Free Radio” by Salman Rushdie is a piece of postcolonial fiction, which is literature written by people from formerly colonized countries. The short story can be considered a political satire, as it exposes the government’s abuse towards citizens and ridicules the main character’s naivety. The story is also a modernist work of fiction, as it has an unreliable narrator, conversational language, and is filled with symbols that enhance the text’s meaning. 

Historical perspective

The short story makes reference to real events that took place in India during The Emergency, a period from 1975 to 1977. During that time, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency across India. Under the Prime Minister’s authority, a mass forced sterilization campaign took place, intending to limit population growth. Unti...