Salman Rushdie recounts brutal knife attack in new memoir: Reflecting on why he didn’t fight

Renowned British-American author Salman Rushdie has bravely relived the harrowing knife attack that left him blind in one eye in his new memoir ‘Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder’. Rushdie, known for his controversial novel “The Satanic Verses”, has been a target of death threats since 1988 when the book was deemed blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

The 76-year-old author was on stage in August 2022 when he was viciously stabbed up to 12 times by accused Hadi Matar, who is currently in prison for attempted murder. Rushdie, in his memoir, questions why he didn’t fight back or run during the attack, stating, “I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me.”

The attacker, then 24 years old, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, claiming he believed Rushdie had “attacked Islam” based on just reading two pages of “The Satanic Verses”. Rushdie, in an emotional interview, described the gruesome details of the attack, including the moment he realized he was being stabbed with a knife and the aftermath of the injuries.

Despite the traumatic experience, Rushdie remains resilient, using his memoir as a form of fighting back against the horrific incident. He recalls the moment he thought he was dying, only to be proven wrong as he was rushed to the hospital for treatment. The author’s courage and strength in the face of adversity serve as an inspiration to many, as he continues to share his story with the world.