Knife by Salman Rushdie review – a story of hatred defeated by love

Salman Rushdie had a dream where a Roman gladiator with a spear tried to attack him, and he's had this type of dream since Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him for his book The Satanic Verses in 1989. In these dreams, Salman imagines being attacked by an assassin in public. On August 12, 2022 in Chautauqua, New York, Salman was on stage talking about the importance of protecting writers when he saw a figure dressed in black running towards him. His immediate thought was, "So it's you. Here you are," followed by confusion as to why they had come after so many years.

In his book Joseph Anton, which was published in 2012, Rushdie wrote about his confusion and disorientation after the fatwa against him was pronounced. He wrote the book in the third person point of view, as if he were writing about someone else's experiences. Rushdie described the trauma as very personal, saying, "When someone hurts you 15 times, it feels very real to you." During the time he was in hiding, Rushdie used the fake name Joseph Anton, which was a combination of the first names of his literary heroes, Conrad and Chekhov. Interestingly, he didn't use his attacker's name in the book either. Instead of referring to him by name, Rushdie called him "the A," which is short for Assailant or would-be Assassin. He also referred to him as "Ass." Matar, who attacked Rushdie, claimed that he had barely read any of The Satanic Verses. Despite his pleas of innocence, Matar was charged with attempted murder and assault, and he was denied bail. He will face trial at a later date.

During the performance, a man ran onto the stage holding a knife. Some people in the audience believed it was a demonstration to show how writers can protect themselves. However, this was not the case. In the next 27 seconds, the knife-wielding man attacked Rushdie, stabbing him 15 times in different parts of his body, including his eye, neck, hand, and chest. Rushdie was lying on the ground as his blood flowed out of him. At this moment, he believed he would not survive the attack. Fortunately, some members of the audience, including the host Henry Reese, came to his rescue and prevented the attacker from doing additional harm. Rushdie's book is dedicated to these individuals, particularly a retired firefighter who was able to stop the flow of blood by using his thumb to apply pressure to Rushdie's neck.

Rushdie can't remember feeling angry towards "the A". However, the joy he experienced the previous night while standing in the moonlight of summer, with a recently finished novel, had vanished. Even worse, he was forced back into the past by a person who was "attempting to execute a death warrant from thirty years ago". It was as if the sixteen books he published after The Satanic Verses were of no significance, as if that "ordinary novel" had become a theological battle. Rushdie ponders why he didn't react when the A attacked him. He might have chosen to fight back or escape. But how could a 75-year-old, still overcome with shock, defend themselves against a 24-year-old brandishing a knife?

A group of helpers, which included two doctors, cut off his clothes to identify his wounds. He was later transferred to a trauma ward located in Pennsylvania by a helicopter after being placed on a stretcher. His vision was blurry even before his eight-hour surgery, and he experienced visions of buildings constructed from alphabets while under the strong influence of painkillers. When he eventually regained consciousness, he had a ventilator inside his throat, which he likened to having an armadillo's tail stuffed in his mouth, and parts of his body were held together by staples. Luckily, he couldn't see the unsightly "bulging boiled-egg eye" hanging from his face.

The presidents of America and France showed their support in kind words, but the British Prime Minister's response was not as enthusiastic. Unfortunately, there was no response from India. However, his loved ones sent messages filled with love and encouragement. His sister and sons even flew from London to be by his side. Most importantly, his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, a talented poet and novelist, proved to be a great source of comfort. They had a quirky introduction when he accidentally walked into a glass door while following her onto a balcony, but they fell in love and had been happily married for the past 11 months, living a more secluded life prior to his recent events.

The medical professionals had low expectations for Eliza's loved one. They had cautioned her that the situation did not look promising. However, Eliza refused to give up and took charge of the situation by staying by their side constantly, using her phone and camera to document their recovery progress. Surprisingly, within only 10 days, his hand immobilized in a splint, his liver recovering from damage, and fluid eliminated from his lung, he was able to walk with a walking aid. The doctors were astonished by this speedy and impressive recovery. It was almost like a fairy tale, a story of coming back from the brink of death.

He was moved to a rehabilitation center in Manhattan, hoping to make a steady recovery. However, he encountered difficulties including dizziness, low blood pressure, a urinary tract infection, and horrible nightmares. Police officers outside his door caused disturbance throughout the night, and there were nurses who came in to change his bandages at 5am. When he finally saw himself in the mirror, he was struck by how different he looked- like a wild-haired, one-eyed stranger. Stuck in bed, he felt like he was losing his mind- that was until a copy of his novel Victory City arrived. Reading the last line of the book- "Words are the only victors" - lifted his spirits and boosted his morale.

The journey wasn't easy for him as there were more obstacles waiting for him. He had to work with a hand therapist for seven months, his right eyelid was unstitched, and he had to get a prosthesis fitted in his mouth which made eating less uncomfortable. He doesn't agree with the saying that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and doesn't call himself brave. However, he did something brave by returning to the amphitheatre where he was attacked after a year. He felt a sense of completion as a circle had been closed. He was given a second chance all thanks to the love, luck, and expertise of the medical professionals.

He expressed that this book is something he wish he didn't have to compose, shared with only "one eye and one and a half hands." Nevertheless, this book is a way for him to come to terms with his experience and express his love for Eliza. In addition to documenting his difficult journey, it touches on various topics such as other writers who suffered from knife violence (like Samuel Beckett and Naguib Mahfouz), his childhood memories of an abusive and alcoholic father, and his thoughts on violence, death, and sickness that his friends have experienced.

In one part of the book, Rushdie has written about conducting four made-up interviews with the person who attacked him. This attacker had called Rushdie "dishonest". Rushdie poses the question to him if every dishonest person deserves to die. The responses from the attacker are unpleasant and unsympathetic, telling Rushdie that he will never understand him. Through these interviews, we come to know about the attacker's night-time activities, his frustration at being involuntarily celibate, and a trip he took to Lebanon that altered his life.

The quotation "We are other" from Beckett suggests that we are not the same as before when something terrible happens. However, Rushdie's success lies in remaining true to himself despite the challenges he faces. He still strongly believes in the importance of art and free speech to our humanity. He mentions Martin Amis' quote about publishing a book and either succeeding or failing, and Rushdie certainly succeeded with this one. The book is both scary and heartwarming as it shows love conquering hate, and even has humorous moments. Prior to the attack, Rushdie was very overweight, but due to his recovery process, he lost 55 pounds, although he wouldn't recommend his method as a diet plan.