an also novelist salman rushdie, the author of "midnight children" and other books. he's also a life long dickens enthusiast. i am pleased to have all these guests here and to talk about charles dickens on this 200th anniversary. i begin with you. why dickens? what is it about dickens that makes him continue to -- >> well, for me one of the things was reading dickens before i ever game to the west was that these cities that dickens ascribes, the great rotting metropolis of dickens felt like the city outside my window. and if you grew up in a city like bombay or delhi, it feels exactly like dickens in london. it has exactly that characteristic of corruption and filth and then these huge larger-than-life characters that populate it. so i felt dickens was a great novelist. >> rose: jill. you're the historian among us. >> it's interesting. in the united states dickens is taken as an american writer. maybe every country has it way of adopting dickens as a native son which is curious because he has such a vexed and painful relationship with the united states. but i think "

we do not need somebody really who has a concern about this sentence of salman rushdie. people,uted about 600 but when it comes to israel, of course everybody tries to teach us what to do them and what the deck the correct values are -- democratic values are. discuss theary to iranian issues publicly, and at the end of the day it is our responsibility of our government, and we will take all the decisions in a very responsible way. philosophy in my private life and my political life, if you won't shoot, you don't talk. at the end of the day it is our responsibility for their future of our citizens. >> i wanted to ask you, thee 50% of the iranian people who elected rouhani, they wanted change. away, isswer is go that the answer you want to give to the merit -- iranian people? >> no. we have enjoyed friendly relations with the united -- iranian people. a harmony revolution with what we have today. in the past, and the times between the iranian people and the jewish people, it is a long the -- history. most of us enjoyed very good relations, and if we have some dialogue with

and salman rushdie is a lifelong dickens enthusiast. i am pleased to have all of these guests and to talk about charles dickens on this 200 anniversary. i begin with you. why dickens? what is it about dickens? >> one of the things was reading dickens before i ever came to the west was that these cities that dickens describes, a great rotting metropolis, it felt like the city outside my window. if you grow up in a city like bombay or delhi, it feels exactly like dickensian. it has exactly that characteristic of corruption and filth and these huge larger- than-life characters. >> jill, you are the historian among us. >> in the united states, dickens is taken as an american writer. it is curious about dickens because he had such a painful relationship with the united states. "great expectations" is the ninth most frequently assigned novel in american high schools. it is interesting to think about dickens readership in the united states changing. i first read dickens as a schoolgirl. george orwell talks about dickens being ladled down your

i do not see someone who really against salman rushdie. the executed in the last year about 600 people, and also we did not see any protest. but when it comes to israel, of course, everybody tries to teach us what to do and what is the democratic value. with regards to your first question, it is really unnecessary to discuss the iranian issue in the mass media and publicly. day, we will the take all of these decisions in a very responsible way. and you know me, also, my philosophy. if you won't shoot, don't talk. it is our responsibility for the future of the destiny of our citizens. >> i just wanted to ask if you don't think, foreign minister lieberman, the eu and israel should speak to the uranian people. people whoiranian elected ramani did so for a reason. a is that the answer you want to give to the iranian people? >> no. we enjoyed really friendly relations with the iranian people form may be hundreds, thousands of years. only after the khamenei revolution do we have what we but relations between the iranian and jewish people, it is