Renowned author Salman Rushdie narrowly escaped death in a violent 2022 knife attack during a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York. Rushdie was stabbed multiple times by an Islamic fanatic, resulting in the loss of sight in his right eye and use of his left hand. However, doctors who treated him revealed that Rushdie was lucky to be alive, as the attacker lacked the expertise to inflict a fatal blow with the knife. Rushdie’s upcoming interview on “60 Minutes” with Anderson Cooper will be his first televised remarks since the brutal incident.
Rushdie’s life has been marked by controversy ever since the publication of his novel, “The Satanic Verses,” which many Muslims found to be blasphemous for its fictionalized portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. In response to the book, the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 offering a bounty for Rushdie’s death. This threat forced Rushdie into hiding for a decade, fearing for his life. The accused assailant in the recent attack, Hadi Matar of Fairview, NJ, expressed support for Iran and Shi’a extremism, but claimed to have only read two pages of Rushdie’s book.
After the attack, Matar pleaded not guilty and faces up to 30 years in prison for attempted murder. Rushdie’s ability to survive the assassination attempt came as a shock to Matar, who had hoped to claim the venerated author’s life in the name of his beliefs. Rushdie, undeterred by the incident, has decided to publish a memoir entitled “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder” next week. According to Rushdie, writing this book was a necessary step to take control of his traumatic experience and respond to violence with art.
The publication of Rushdie’s memoir has had legal implications for Matar’s trial, as his defense team requested time to review Rushdie’s account of the attack before proceeding. The 224-page text, the author’s first since the harrowing incident, provides a detailed exploration of his reflections on mortality, violence, and resilience in the face of adversity. Rushdie’s courage and determination to share his story in the aftermath of the attack serve as a testament to his resilience and commitment to artistic expression. Despite the ongoing impact of the traumatic event, Rushdie remains determined to reclaim his narrative and continue his literary pursuits.