Satanic Verses author, Salman Rushdie lost the sight in one eye and suffered 15 wounds to his neck and body after knife attack

     

 

Satanic Verses author, Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye, and mobility in one hand after he was brutally stabbed while giving a lecture in New York, his agent has revealed. 

 

The 75-year-old was stabbed multiple times as he took to the stage to give a talk on artistic freedom at the Chautauqua Institute on August 12.

 

Mr. Rushdie had to undergo emergency surgery after suffering stab wounds to the neck and stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh.

 

His accused attacker Hadi Matar, 24, said in a jailhouse interview that he was 'surprised' the author had lived. 

 

Now, agent Andrew Wylie has revealed for the first time just how serious Mr Rushdie's injuries are in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País.

 

'His wounds were deep. He lost sight in one eye. He suffered three serious neck injuries and lost mobility in one hand because the nerves were cut by the stab wounds,' Mr Wylie said. 

 

'And he suffered another 15 injuries to his chest and torso. So it was a brutal attack.'

 

The agent declined to comment on whether his client was still in hospital but added: 'Rushdie will survive.'

 

Mr. Wylie said that he had discussed the possibility of an assassination attempt with Mr. Rushdie in the past.

 

He said: 'The principal danger that he faced so many years after the fatwa was imposed is from a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking [him].'

 

'So, you can't protect against that because it's totally unexpected and illogical. It was like John Lennon['s murder].'

 

But Mr Rushdie had spoken about how his life was 'very normal again' after years of hiding and death threats in an interview just days before he was stabbed.

 

in an interview with German magazine Stern in early August, Mr Rushdie, who is best known for his novel The Satanic Verses which triggered a calling for his death from the supreme leader of Iran, said death threats 'have become more normal' - but that the fatwa no longer scared him.

 

He said: 'A fatwa is a serious thing. Luckily we didn't have the internet back then. The Iranians had send the fatwa to the mosques by fax.

 

'That's all a long time ago. Nowadays my life is very normal again.'

 

The man accused of stabbing Mr. Rushdie pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges when he appeared in court on August 18.

 

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Hadi Matar, 24, appeared in court wearing a grey-striped jumpsuit and a white face mask, as District Attorney Jason Schmidt claimed: 'His mission to kill Mr. Rushdie is greater in his mind and outweighs his personal freedom.'.