Salman Rushdie loses sight in one eye and use of hand after New York attack

Salman Rushdie loses sight in one eye and use of hand after New York attack
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Aden-Jay Wood

By Aden-Jay Wood


Published: 24/10/2022

- 12:57

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:34

Salman Rushdie's agent revealed the extent of his client's injuries following the attack in August

Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand following an attack on stage at a literary event in western New York in August, his agent said.

Andrew Wylie, who represents literary giants such as Saul Bellow and Roberto Bolano, described the extent of the injuries Rushdie suffered in the "brutal" attack.


Wylie described the author's wounds as "profound," and noted the loss of sight of one eye.

FILE PHOTO: Author Salman Rushdie arrives for the PEN New England's Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. September 19, 2016.  REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
Salman Rushdie
Brian Snyder

Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand following the attack, his agent said
Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand following the attack, his agent said
Ritzau Scanpix Denmark

He told Spanish newspaper El Pais: "He had three serious wounds in his neck. One hand is incapacitated because the nerves in his arm were cut.

"And he has about 15 more wounds in his chest and torso."

The agent declined to say whether "The Satanic Verses" author, 75, was still in hospital more than two months after police said a 24-year-old New Jersey man stabbed the writer in the neck and torso just before Rushdie was to give a lecture.

The novelist was rushed to hospital after sustaining severe injuries in the attack, including nerve damage in his arm, wounds to his liver, and the likely loss of an eye, Wylie said at the time.

The man accused of attacking the novelist has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges.

He is being held without bail in a western New York jail.

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