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Salman Rushdie has lost the sight in one eye and the use of one hand after an attack he suffered while preparing to give a lecture in New York state two months ago, his agent has confirmed.
The 75-year-old author, who received death threats from Iran in the 1980s after the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses, was stabbed in the neck and torso as he took the stage to deliver a speech on artistic freedom at the Chautauqua Institute on August 12.
Until now, the full extent of Rushdie’s injuries was unclear. But in an interview with Spain’s El Pais, Andrew Wylie explained just how serious and life-changing the attack was.
“[His wounds] were deep, but he is [also] lost sight in one eye,” Wiley said. “He had three serious wounds on his neck.” One arm is disabled because the nerves in his hand have been cut. And there are about 15 more wounds in the chest and torso. So it was a brutal attack.”
The agent declined to say whether Rushdie was still in the hospital, saying the most important thing was that the writer would survive.
Wiley also said he and Rushdie had discussed the possibility of such an attack in the past. “The main danger he faced for so many years after the fatwa was imposed was from a random person who came out of nowhere and attacked [him],” he said.
“So you can’t protect yourself from it because it’s completely unexpected and illogical.” It was like John Lennon[’s murder].
Elsewhere in the interview, Wiley said the world was going through a “very troubled period” – not just in the US. “I think nationalism is on the rise, a kind of fundamentalist right is on the rise… From Italy to… Europe, Latin America and the US, where… half the country seems to think that Joe Biden stole the election from Donald Trump. And they admire this man who is not only completely incompetent and a liar and a thief, but just a farce. That’s funny.”
Asked how he felt about the fact that Maus — the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel by its other author, Art Spiegelman — has been banned from some American schools, Wiley said: “You know, it’s a religious right to behave the way they behave . That’s funny. That’s funny. It’s embarrassing. But it is now a major force in the country.”
The man accused of stabbing Rushdie pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder and assault charges when he appeared in court on August 18.
Hadi Matar, 24, was arraigned during a brief hearing in Chautauqua County District Court on a grand jury indictment charging him with one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of second-degree assault.
Two weeks before the attack, Rushdie told an interviewer that he felt his life was “back to normal” and that fears of an attack were a thing of the past.
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