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Author Salman Rushdie spent years successful hiding aft Iran's person Ayatollah Khomeini called for his assassination successful 1989, declaring Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses," blasphemous and an insult to Islam. After 10 years Rushdie came retired of hiding and moved to the United States, wherever helium felt safe. Then, connected Aug. 12, 2022, astatine a literate lawsuit successful Chautauqua, New York, helium was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant. Rushdie was stabbed 15 times and astir died. He mislaid his close oculus successful the attack. He has travel to presumption with the effort connected his beingness the lone mode helium knows: by penning astir it successful his book. "Knife," which was published successful April 2024.
Rushdie work respective excerpts from "Knife" for 60 Minutes.
"I would reply unit with art," says writer Salman Rushdie. He initially didn't privation to constitute his publication "Knife" astir the attack, but helium felt helium needed to ain what happened, refusing to beryllium a victim.
"No substance what I've already written oregon whitethorn present write, I'll ever beryllium the feline who got knifed. The weapon defines me. I'll combat a conflict against that, but I fishy I volition lose," helium writes.
"There was thing supernatural astir it. No 'tunnel of light.' No feeling of rising retired of my body," writes Rushdie, describing his near-death acquisition successful 2022 successful his book. "In fact, I person seldom felt truthful powerfully connected to my body. My assemblage was dying, and it was taking maine with it."
"I bash not privation to usage his sanction successful this account," the writer writes of his 24-year-old assailant. In "Knife" Rushdie refers to the attacker arsenic "the A." After the attack, helium learned the assailant had lone work a mates of pages from his book, "The Satanic Verses," according to the New York Post.
"So it's you. Here you are." Those were Rushdie's archetypal thoughts arsenic a antheral with a weapon rushed towards him earlier stabbing him.
"It is said that Henry James's past words were 'So it has travel astatine last, the distinguished thing.' Death was coming astatine me, too, but it didn't onslaught maine arsenic distinguished. It struck maine arsenic anachronistic," says Rushdie.
While talking with 60 Minutes' Anderson Cooper, Rushdie explained: "It felt similar thing coming retired of the distant past. And trying to resistance maine backmost successful time."
"There was the weapon successful the eye. That was the cruellest blow, and it was a heavy wound. The leaf went successful each the mode to the optic nerve, which meant determination would beryllium nary anticipation of redeeming the vision. It was gone," writes Rushdie.
After being stabbed 15 times, Salman Rushdie's look was slashed open. In his publication "Knife," helium writes his look looked similar "a sci-fi movie peculiar effect." He describes his oculus arsenic bulging retired of its socket and hanging down connected his look similar a ample soft-boiled egg. He writes: "the swelling was truthful atrocious that the doctors didn't adjacent know, successful those archetypal days, if I inactive had an eyelid. (I did.)"
In the days aft the attack, helium didn't admit his ain reflection. "The lips of the antheral successful the reflector bash not move. There is simply a slash crossed the apical of his forehead," Rushdie writes. "Now helium is the antheral beyond the reflector and the reflector is down him and dark. He is the alien who has to play his part."
When Salman Rushdie contemplated testifying successful tribunal against his assailant, helium imagined what helium would say: "I find I person precise small to accidental to you. Our lives touched each different for an instant and past separated. Mine has improved since that day, portion yours has deteriorated. You made a atrocious gamble and lost."
"The past happening my close oculus would ever see: I saw the antheral successful achromatic moving toward maine down the right-hand broadside of the seating area. Black clothes, achromatic look mask. He was coming successful hard and low," writes Rushdie successful his book, "Knife." "I didn't effort to run. I was transfixed."
In May 2025, Salman Rushdie's attacker was recovered blameworthy of attempted execution and sentenced to 25 years successful prison.
The videos supra were primitively published connected April 14, 2024.
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The astir upsetting happening astir the onslaught
The astir upsetting happening astir the onslaught for Salman Rushdie
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English (US) ·