Salman Rushdie gives first interview since assassination attempt

Novelist says his condition is 'not so bad' considering severity of attack

A man stormed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in the US state of New York and began assaulting Salman Rushdie as he was being introduced. AP

Rushdie, whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked on Friday while giving a lecture in western New York. AP

Bloodstains mark a screen on the stage where Rushdie was attacked. AP

Rushdie, behind screen left, is tended to after being attacked on stage. AP

Rushdie’s condition was not immediately known. AP

Concerns about the author's security have been raised in the past. AP

Iranian women hold banners during a demonstration against Rushdie in Tehran. AFP

Pro-Iranian Hezbollah protesters burn an effigy of Rushdie in Beirut, Lebanon. AFP

Though born in India, Rushdie has lived mostly between London and New York City. Reuters

Author Salman Rushdie expressed his gratitude for the tributes sent to him after he was repeatedly stabbed in an assassination attempt last year.

The attack at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York left Rushdie with loss of sight in one eye and other life-changing injuries.

His contemporaries paid tribute to the author in the days after the attack.

“I’m lucky. What I really want to say is that my main overwhelming feeling is gratitude,” he told The New Yorker in his first interview since the attack.

People attend a rally in support of author Salman Rushdie in New York. Getty Images / AFP

One week after Rushdie was stabbed while on stage, a gathering was held to read selected works by the British author outside the New York Public Library. AFP

Rushdie was attacked and stabbed multiple times while giving a talk at the Chautauqua Institution. Getty Images / AFP

His accused attacker pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault. Getty Images / AFP

Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and president of freedom of speech non-profit PEN America, speaks in show of solidarity with Rushdie. Getty Images / AFP

Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for A Visit From the Goon Squad. Getty Images / AFP

Rushdie wrote the controversial novel 'The Satanic Verses'. Getty Images / AFP

Police officers guard the steps of the New York Public Library to show support for Rushdie. Getty Images / AFP

Supporters carry home-made signs. Getty Images / AFP

The rally was held between the iconic New York Public Library lions. Getty Images / AFP

Rushdie's attacker was named as Hadi Matar of New Jersey. Getty Images / AFP

US leaders, including President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken condemned the attack on Rushdie. Getty Images / AFP

Rushdie made a name for himself in the US as a champion of free speech. Getty Images / AFP

Rushdie spent years under police protection after Iranian leaders called for his killing over his portrayal of Islam. Getty Images / AFP

Hasan Mujtaba, a poet of Pakistani origin, attends the event. Getty Images / AFP

Poet and activist Reginald Dwayne Betts speaks. Getty Images / AFP

A man holds a sign that reads: #StandWithSalman. AFP

Though severely injured, Rushdie is recovering well, family members and friends say. AFP

A police officer watches as writers gather to read Rushdie's works. Getty Images / AFP

Rushdie also expressed his gratitude to the first responders and healthcare providers who tended to him.

“At some point, I’d like to go back up there and say thank you,” he said.

In addition to the loss of sight, Rushdie was left “incapacitated” in one hand, rendering it useless, and suffered injuries to his neck and abdomen after being repeatedly stabbed.

On Monday he shared a headshot of himself wearing spectacles, with one lens darkened.

He told The New Yorker's David Remnick he was “not so bad” considering the seriousness of his wounds.

“As you can see, the big injuries are healed, essentially. I have feeling in my thumb and index finger and in the bottom half of the palm,” he said.

I’m doing a lot of hand therapy and I’m told that I’m doing very well.”

Rushdie said he was still struggling to write because of his injured hand and a mental block.

His new novel, Victory City, was due to hit bookshelves on Tuesday in the US and Thursday in the UK.

Former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against the author in 1989 for his novel The Satanic Verses, a book that angered many Muslims.

Hadi Matar, the man accused of stabbing Rushdie, did not say whether he attacked him because of the fatwa but did say he had respect for the late Iranian leader.

Matar, a Lebanese American, was charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault charges.

The US accused Iran of inciting violence against the novelist for years. Iran denied any involvement with the attack.

Salman Rushdie's accused attacker Hadi Matar -- in pictures

Nathaniel Barone, defence attorney for Hadi Matar, talks with his client. AP

Hadi Matar at the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department following the attack on Salman Rushdie. AP

Mr Matar, who has been accused of stabbing Rushdie at a literary event, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges. AFP

Mr Matar listens to his public defence attorney, Nathaniel Barone, while being arraigned in the Chautauqua County Courthouse in Mayville, New York. AP

Mr Matar arrives for his arraignment. AP

Mr Matar said that he took a bus to Buffalo, New York, and then a Lyft to the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was speaking. AP

Mr Matar told 'The New York Post' that a tweet announcing the author's visit to the Chautauqua Institution gave him the idea of going there. AP

Mr Matar said that he has only read two pages of 'The Satanic Verses' by author Rushdie, whom he is accused of trying to murder. AP

Mr Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie and faces attempted murder charges. AP

A plain-clothed police officer stands near the entrance of the building where Mr Matar lives in Fairview, New Jersey. Reuters

Police cordon off an area outside Mr Matar's house. Reuters