claim: Salman Rushdie was accused of plagiarizing a 1981 novel.
evidence: Ahmed Salman Rushdie , FRSL -LRB- -LSB- sælˈmɑːn ˈrʊʃdi -RSB- अहमद सलमान रशदी , ; born 19 June 1947 -RRB- is a British Indian novelist and essayist .. FRSL. Royal Society of Literature. British Indian. British Indian. His second novel , Midnight 's Children -LRB- 1981 -RRB- , 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 .. Booker Prize. Booker Prize. 25th. Man Booker Prize#Winners. 40th anniversary of the prize. The Best of the Booker. Much of his fiction is set on the Indian subcontinent .. Indian subcontinent. Indian subcontinent. He combines magical realism with historical fiction ; his work is concerned with the many connections , disruptions , and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations .. magical realism. magical realism. historical fiction. Historical novel. Eastern. Eastern world. His epic fourth novel , The Satanic Verses -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , was the subject of a major controversy , provoking protests from Muslims in several countries .. The Satanic Verses. The Satanic Verses. a major controversy. The Satanic Verses controversy. Death threats were made against him , including a fatwa calling for his assassination issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini , the Supreme Leader of Iran , on 14 February 1989 .. fatwa. fatwa. Ayatollah. Ayatollah. Ruhollah Khomeini. Ruhollah Khomeini. Supreme Leader of Iran. Supreme Leader of Iran. The British government put Rushdie under police protection .. In 1983 Rushdie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature , the UK 's senior literary organisation .. Royal Society of Literature. Royal Society of Literature. He was appointed Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in January 1999 .. Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In June 2007 , Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his services to literature .. Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth II. knighted him. Knighthood of Salman Rushdie. In 2008 , The Times ranked him thirteenth on its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 .. The Times. The Times. Since 2000 , Rushdie has lived in the United States .. He was named Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University in 2015 .. New York University. New York University. Earlier , he taught at Emory University .. Emory University. Emory University. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters .. American Academy of Arts and Letters. American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012 , he published Joseph Anton  : A Memoir , an account of his life in the wake of the controversy over The Satanic Verses .. The Satanic Verses. The Satanic Verses. Rushdie was strongly favoured to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature but the Nobel organisers were later quoted as saying that they would have been `` too predictable , too popular . ''