Notes

Upon winning the James Joyce Award from University College Dublin in 2008, Rushdie declared that it was a real honour to receive an award in the name of James Joyce because he was one of his biggest influences.

"He was one of my greatest inspirations when I was young. Having read him it seemed there was little else to write. It was as good as it gets," he said.

"But you do have to recover after reading Ulysses," he added.

Impressively, he said that he had even read 'Finnegan's Wake' -- twice -- because a former girlfriend was writing her thesis on the daunting tome.
(ref: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/joking-salman-rushdie-rejoices-in-literary-honour-1494964.html)