Sir Salman Rushdie declared himself “over” the traumatic 2022 knife attack, receiving a warm welcome at the Hay Festival on Sunday, per bbc.co.uk. The esteemed writer, now blind in one eye and with other life-altering injuries, made a powerful return to the public eye, expressing a desire to shift focus back to his literary work.
Rushdie’s attacker, Hadi Matar, was sentenced to 25 years last month for attempted murder. Despite the horrific ordeal, the celebrated author told attendees that a pivotal moment came when he revisited the attack site with his wife, Eliza, to “show myself I could stand up where I fell down.”
With a new short story collection, “The Eleventh Hour,” due in November – his first fiction since the stabbing – Rushdie is eager to discuss storytelling again. “It will be nice to talk about fiction again because ever since the attack, really the only thing anybody’s wanted to talk about is the attack, but I’m over it,” he quipped.
The event at Hay Festival was under tight security, reflecting the continued threats he faces following his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses. Despite the challenges, Sir Salman maintained a remarkably optimistic outlook, even joking about his injuries. He also weighed in on free speech, advocating for tolerating differing views, and lightheartedly dismissed the threat of AI to authors.
