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Salman Rushdie says writing Knife allowed him to change his relationship to the attack. "Instead of just being the person who got stabbed, I now see myself as the person who wrote a book about getting stabbed," he says. Rachel Eliza Griffiths/Penguin Random House hide caption

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Rachel Eliza Griffiths/Penguin Random House

Author Interviews

Two nights before the attack, Salman Rushdie dreamed he was stabbed onstage

Rushdie was onstage at a literary event in 2022 when he was attacked by a man in the audience: "Dying in the company of strangers — that was what was going through my mind." His new book is Knife.

Salman Rushdie says writing Knife allowed him to change his relationship to the attack. "Instead of just being the person who got stabbed, I now see myself as the person who wrote a book about getting stabbed," he says. Rachel Eliza Griffiths/Penguin Random House hide caption

toggle caption
Rachel Eliza Griffiths/Penguin Random House

Two nights before the attack, Salman Rushdie dreamed he was stabbed onstage

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From WHYY in Philadelphia