Sir Salman Rushdie preparing for his first public engagement in the UK. This after he was the target of a vicious attack in which he was left completely blind in his right eye. The live performance will happen at the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts. There, he’ll speak about these works and more, from his latest collection Knife, which faces the trauma of violence he has endured.
Rushdie had been stabbed several times on stage at a Hochschild lecture in New York City in August 2022. An eight-car pile-up, this tragic accident resulted in serious physical trauma. He had permanent damage to his liver, loss of vision in one eye and paralysis in one hand due to nerve damage. He recounted the brutal effect of the onslaught, dramatically proclaiming, “I remember thinking I was dying.”
The Hay Festival from May 22nd – June 1st is over 600 thrilling events. Among the heavy hitters, not just on to the stage but behind it, are Rushdie, Donald Trump’s niece and actor Michael Sheen. Julie Finch, the festival’s director, emphasized the significance of Rushdie’s attendance, noting, “In a very special event, we’ll explore his recent work and the power of storytelling to change the world. We know how much this appearance will mean.”
The change in Rushdie’s life after the attack has of course, been radical. He painted a picture of the deplorable conditions surrounding his eye after the unfortunate attack. He compared it to “the texture of a soft boiled egg” hanging down his face. The emotional toll doesn’t stop there, as he confesses that the loss of his vision makes him cry “every day.”
Rushdie is an acclaimed literary figure whose body of work includes 22 fiction and non-fiction books over the years. His now-classic novel, Midnight’s Children, had just won the coveted Booker Prize. His earlier work, The Satanic Verses, won him a slew of major literary awards. It ignited one of the biggest firestorms of reaction. Publication of this novel in 1988 resulted in death threats against his life. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s leader at the time, responded by issuing a fatwa calling for his death.
After decades spent in concealment because of these dangers, Rushdie has come out re-energized. He has obviously used Knife as a platform to help express the power of storytelling to endure and overcome in dark times. His upcoming participation at the Hay Festival should be a time of personal triumph and a celebration of literature’s transformative power.
As he prepares for this significant engagement, Rushdie continues to inspire many with his determination to confront the challenges he faces through his writing.
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