Salman Rushdie Stabbed at Literary Event in New York State

  

Like most people, I remember only vaguely, with a kind of a fog, the controversy surrounding the death threats that Salman Rushdie received after the publication of The Satanic Verses. 

The Satanic Verses are familiar to many people who did not read it, because it was at the center of an international controversy. The book was upsetting to many Muslims, particularly very devout Muslims. The book evidently caused a literal riot in Pakistan, but that was not even the worst of it. Maybe I am dating myself a bit too much here, but I can still remember the days when he was the target of Islamic extremists, particularly from the Iranian Republic, where the then Supreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, put a price on Rushdie's head. So he was forced to go into hiding for years because of this threat to his personal safety. That was in early 1989, shortly after the time that The Satanic Verses came out, which was, of course, the cause of the controversy. It was viewed as heretical in nature, and an insult to the Koran. 

Again, though, that was over 30 years ago. That accounts for the fog that I, and probably most people, had regarding the controversy. I had seen him already on two occasions. One was a surprise appearance during one of the two author events back in 2006, when Stephen King, John Irving, and JK Rowling all appeared at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie, and Garp." He asked a question specifically to Rowling. Then, I attended a book signing event of his in New York City. It was back in 2015, if memory serves correctly. Among the three or so books that I got him to sign was a copy of The Satanic Verses. Having seen him twice, and knowing that he has made numerous public appearances, it seemed safe to assume that the danger to him had passed.

Apparently not.

Yesterday, Salman Rushdie was attacked just as he was preparing to speak during a literary event in New York, specifically the Chautauqua Institution. And the physical damage that Rushdie sustained from the attack was serious:

Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency, said the writer was on a ventilator Friday evening, with a damaged liver, severed nerves in an arm and an eye he was likely to lose.

It goes to show that writing can still stir considerable controversy. Maybe it did not stir as much controversy as, say, Charles Darwin's book on The Origin of Species. Still, in my lifetime, it probably was the most famous book to stir quite that much controversy. The fact that it not only caused a riot in Pakistan, and that he had a bounty on his head, would attest to that. And this latest attack will add to this controversial legacy. 

Stunning, really. For what it is worth, I wish the very best to Rushdie on a speedy recovery. It is truly a horrifying thing to see such violence based on writings, on thoughts and ideas. It brings to mind other such horrific tragedies, from Nazi book burnings from authors that they deemed dangerous, to Christian conservatives burning Beatles records after John Lennon made that misunderstood comment about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus, to the threats and calls for the death of Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard after he drew a depiction of the prophet Mohammad, and more recently, of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. 

Today, I thought that it would be appropriate to post the pictures of the time I went to see Rushdie when he was making this appearance in New York City in support of what was then his newly released work, "Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights."

As was mentioned earlier, I cannot recall much at all regarding the actual discussion, although I do remember being impressed at times. My apologies for not being able to recall much of anything specific.

However, here are the pictures that I took of that event: Also, below, is the link to the article that I used in writing this particular blog entry:

'Satanic Verses' author Salman Rushdie on a ventilator following attack, suspect named Mary Cadden Jennifer McClellan USA TODAY, August 12, 2022:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/08/12/salman-rushdie-the-satanic-verses-author-attacked/10308086002/