Salman Rushdie is still in a critical condition, but his usual feisty and defiant sense of humour remains intact, his son Zafar Rushdie said on Sunday, August 14, as the Mumbai-born author battles severe injuries. Rushdie, 75, was stabbed at a literary event in New York on Friday, August 12, and he received severe injuries in his eye and abdomen. On Saturday, the Booker winner was taken off the ventilator and additional oxygen on Saturday and he was able to say a few words, Zafar said. “Following the attack on Friday, my father remains in a critical condition in hospital receiving extensive ongoing medical treatment”, he said in a statement posted on Twitter. Though his life-changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty and defiant sense of humour remains intact, he added.
The family expressed gratitude to the audience members who “bravely leapt to Rushdie's defence” and administered first-aid after he was stabbed multiple times at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. The family also thanked the police and doctors for their care and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love and support from around the world. “We ask for continued patience and privacy as the family comes together at his bedside to support and help him through this time”, the statement said. The New York Times quoted Rushdie's agent Andrew Wylie as saying, “The road to recovery has begun. It will be long; the injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction.”
A family statement… @SalmanRushdie #SalmanRushdie pic.twitter.com/tMrAkoqliq
— Zafar Rushdie (@ZafRushdie) August 14, 2022
Rushdie, who faced death threats for years after writing The Satanic Verses, was stabbed by a 24-year-old identified as Hadi Matar, a US national of Lebanese origin, on Friday while he was being introduced at a literary event of the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York. Rushdie was put on a ventilator, and his literary agent said that Rushdie may lose his eye.
Earlier on Saturday, August 13, Matar pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault at a brief court appearance where he was denied bail. Matar was charged with attempted murder and assault in the stabbing of Rushdie and he pleaded not guilty.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt provided the details of Rushdie's injuries in court during Matar's arraignment on Saturday. This was a targeted, unprovoked, pre planned attack on Mr Rushdie, Schmidt alleged. Matar faces up to 32 years if convicted of both charges, Schmidt said.
Rushdie lived in hiding and under police protection for years after late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini put out a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death in retribution for his book The Satanic Verses. Rushdie, the author of 14 novels, was knighted in 2007 for services to literature.