Salman Rushdie loses sight in an eye, use of one hand after August attack
Salman Rushdie’s agent has revealed that the renowned author lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand after being attacked while preparing to deliver a lecture at New York in the US two months ago.
As a result of Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death after the publication of his novel ‘The Satanic Verses’, the author spent years in hiding. Some Muslims consider Rushdie’s novel to be blasphemous. During the past two decades, however, Rushdie traveled freely.
The 75-year-old author was stabbed in the neck and torso as he walked on stage to speak about artistic freedom at Chautauqua Institution, known for its summer lecture series, on August 12.
Until now, it had been unclear how severe Rushdie’s injuries were. But literary agent Andrew Wylie explained in an interview with the Spanish language newspaper El Pais how serious and life-altering the attack had been. The article was published on Saturday.
“(His wounds) were profound, but he’s (also) lost the sight of one eye,” said Wylie, adding: “He had three serious wounds in his neck. One hand is incapacitated because the nerves in his arm were cut. And he has about 15 more wounds in his chest and torso. So, it was a brutal attack.”
As reported by The Guardian, Rushdie’s agent declined to say if the writer remained in the hospital. However, he added that the most significant thing was that the writer was going to survive. After the attack, Rushdie was taken to a Pennsylvania hospital.
