Mumbai-born British-American author Salman Rushdie has opened up about the harrowing attack he endured in New York in 2022, detailing the gruesome moment when he was stabbed multiple times on stage. Rushdie, 76, recounted the incident in an interview with the BBC ahead of the release of his memoir, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.”
The attack occurred in August 2022 during Rushdie’s appearance at the Chautauqua Institution, where he was stabbed up to 12 times by Hadi Matar, who is currently in prison for attempted murder. Rushdie described the terrifying moment when he initially thought he had been punched, only to realize he had been attacked with a knife as blood began to flow.
“I remember thinking I was dying. Fortunately, I was wrong,” Rushdie said, reflecting on the severity of his injuries, including a deep wound to his left eye that left him blind in that eye. He suffered stab wounds to his neck and torso, damaging his liver and hands, and severing nerves in his right eye.
The attack lasted only 27 seconds, but its impact was severe. Rushdie, known for his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which led to a fatwa against him in 1989, spent six weeks recovering in the hospital. Despite the physical and emotional toll, Rushdie considers himself fortunate to have avoided brain damage and remains resilient in the face of adversity.
In “Knife,” Rushdie engages in an imaginary conversation with his attacker, exploring themes of honesty, violence, and freedom of speech. He acknowledges the surreal moment during the attack when he found himself worrying about personal belongings, a testament to his instinctual will to survive.
The memoir, set to release on Tuesday, is dedicated to “the men and women who saved my life.” Rushdie’s resilience serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring importance of freedom of speech, especially in a world where such freedoms are increasingly under threat.
As Rushdie prepares to confront his attacker in court later this year, he continues to speak out against restrictions on freedom of speech, emphasizing the fundamental principle of allowing dissenting voices to be heard.
