Salman Rushdie Loses an Eye and Hand in Chautauqua Attack, Says Agent

New York: In the Chautauqua attack, reknowned author Salman Rushdie has lost vision in one eye and one of his hands is incapacitated, his agent has confirmed this while providing an update on his health over two months after he was attacked in New York.

The 75-year-old Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly on August 12, ahead of an interview in upstate New York. He was stabbed in the neck and torso while he was preparing to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. 

Even two months after the attack the full extent of the author's injuries had been unclear. However, Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie in an interview to Spain's El Pais explained how serious and life-changing the attack had been. He said the writer suffered 15 more wounds to his chest. 

“[His wounds] were profound, but he’s [also] lost the sight of one eye,” said Wylie. “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. So, it was a brutal attack.”

Likening the attack to “John Lennon (‘s murder)”, Wylie said he and Rishdie had discussed the possibility of such an attack in the past. He did not share details like whether Rushdie was still in hospital, however he said the writer was going to live. 

Rushdie, who received death threats from Iran in the 1980s for his ‘The Satanic Verses’ novel, was attacked by a 24-year-old New Jersey resident Hadi Matar. He was charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of second-degree assault by the Chautauqua county court. 

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