Sign in

On stabbing incident, Salman Rushdie says he is 'more or less OK' but faces this dilemma

Salman Rushdie said, “I have a very good therapist who has a lot of work to do. I have crazy dreams.”

Published on: Jul 13, 2023, 09:16:38 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

Booker prize-winning author Salman Rushdie said that he still has “crazy dreams” about the knife attack that he endured in New York, which left him blind in one eye. The 76-year-old Mumbai-born author said that he was working with a therapist to help him process the mental impact of the attack which took place when he was on stage almost a year ago. Salman Rushdie was stabbed up to 10 times by the suspect Hadi Matar.

Author Salman Rushdie. (AFP)
Author Salman Rushdie. (AFP)

Speaking to the BBC, Salman Rushdie said he was in "two minds" about whether to face his alleged attacker or not. "I have a very good therapist who has a lot of work to do. I have crazy dreams," the novelist said, adding, “If he changes his plea to guilty then actually there's not a trial, there's just a sentencing, and it may well be that then my presence isn't required. I'm in two minds about it. There's one bit of me that actually wants to go and stand on the court and look at him and there's another bit of me that just can't be bothered.”

"I don't have a very high opinion of him. And I think what is important to me now is that you're able to find life continuing. I'm more engaged with the business of, you know, getting on with it," he said when asked about Hadi Matar.

Read more: 'Let's look at Joe': US president Biden may have had plastic surgery

The injuries from the attack resulted in damage to Salman Rushdie's liver and paralysed his hand.

"The human body has an amazing capacity to heal. And so I'm fortunate to be well on that way," the author said about his recovery. I feel “more or less OK” physically, he asserted.

Talking about his upcoming book on the stabbing incident, he told the BBC that it won't be more than a "couple of hundred of pages" long.

"There's this colossal elephant in the room and, until I deal with that, it is difficult to take seriously anything else," he said.

  • Mallika Soni
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Mallika Soni

    When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?"

Get the latest World News, breaking headlines and global updates from the US, UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and other countries. Follow major international events on Hindustan Times.