Author Salman Rushdie, who was attacked in New York in August, has suffered “profound” wounds, including the loss of sight in one eye, his agent Andrew Wylie has stated.
“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,” Wylie told Spanish newspaper El Pais, but declined to say if the author is still in hospital. “I can’t give any information about his whereabouts. He’s going to live… That’s the more important thing.”
The novel is considered blasphemous by some Muslims who claim the portrayal of Muhammad in the novel is insulting. The author was forced into hiding for nearly ten years after The Satanic Verses was published.
In August, the author was stabbed multiple times by 24-year-old Hadi Matar just before giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. Matar has pled not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges and is being held without bail in a New York jail.
During the interview with El Pais, Wylie revealed that he had discussed such threats with Rushdie over the years.
“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. So you can’t protect against that, because it’s totally unexpected and illogical. It was like John Lennon’s murder.”
