Exile is a dream of glorious return. Exile is a vision of revolution: Elba, not St Helena. It is an endless paradox: looking forward by always looking back. The exile is a ball hurled high into the air. He hangs there, frozen in time, translated into a photograph; denied motion, suspended impossibly above his native earth, he awaits the inevitable moment at which the photograph must begin to move, and the earth reclaim its own.
by Salman Rushdie
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In Salman Rushdie's perspective on exile, he presents it as a complex mix of nostalgia and hope. Exile symbolizes not just a physical separation from one's homeland but also a longing for a triumphant return. It embodies the idea of revolution, suggesting that those in exile dream of a comeback rather than a mere resignation to their fate. This paradox illustrates a dynamic tension between looking back at one's roots while simultaneously aiming to forge a new future.

Rushdie further describes the experience of the exile as one caught in suspension, akin to a ball thrown into the air, holding onto a moment that feels both fleeting and eternal. This imagery captures the essence of being torn between two worlds, as the exile remains poised in a state of anticipation. Their identity and sense of belonging are defined by a yearning for their homeland, while the eventual return is both inevitable and fraught with the complexities of change and transformation.

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