33 years after the release of the fatwa on Salman Rushdi's life, he was attacked by an muslim knifefighter. In the book Knife. Reflections After Attempted Murder The author tells about this dramatic event. – I've turned into a celebrity freak for unfortunate accidents in life. – he says.
When Salman Rushdie published in the fall of 1988 Satanic Verses, was the esteemed author of 3 another novels, including diptych Children of the North and Shame. It's been six years since he was honored with Booker, but he was actually inactive looking for his place in the literary world. His position was to establish the 4th fresh – precisely Satanic Verses – in which he included his experiences of a man surviving at the interface of cultures – a Muslim Indian raised from the age of 13 in British schools.
As Rushdie wrote in his autobiography entitled Joseph Anton, in Satanic Verses He attempted to present the communicative of the emergence of the youngest of the large monotheistic religions—Islamic. Raised in a Muslim, though not peculiarly spiritual household Rushdie described in Satanic Verses Muhammad as a specified man subject to hesitation and emotion. The title Satanic verses are an apocryphal passage of the Qur'an allowing the worship of local goddesses of Mecca, which the Prophet would remove from the first text as dictated by the enticing devil.
For a fewer months after the book was published in Britain, there were respective Muslim demonstrations against the novel, but nothing announced what happened on Valentine's Day 1989. On February 14, Iran's revolution leader Ajatollah Khomeini ordered believers to kill the author Satan’s Texts and all who have contributed to the publication of the book "Insulting Islam". A BBC reporter phoned Rushdi about the fact that it felt like it had a death conviction on it. – It's not nice. – the author replied, not realizing that his life had just changed irreparably.
The first night after the judgement was announced, Rushdie spent inactive in his own home, but the next morning, he and his wife began a multi-month walk after rented hideouts. Contacts with the ex - wife, son, and remainder of the household were drastically reduced, as were meetings with friends. He was protected by Scotland Yard employees and became the companions of the writer's loneliness for 10 years. He was driven by an armored car, had no right to take a step or make a telephone call. On the second day, he had to come up with a name to study him to a roadside motel. The title Joseph Anton from his autobiography is simply a combination of names of his favourite writers – Joseph Conrad and Antoni Chekhov – and at the same time a nickname under which Rushdie actually lived for more than 10 years.
The author did not feel guilty – he felt that in his book he described the well-known historical facts. He did not number on a fair rating in India and the muslim world, where the book was banned and readers could not get to know it, but he had the illusion that a secularized Western planet would stand on his side, in defence of freedom of speech. Years later, he recalls that he came with his expectations at the minute of the worst possible, apogee of political correctness towards the planet of Islam, the time to search the voices of the increasing Muslim community in Europe. Britain, of which he was a citizen, did not take any diplomatic steps in his defense, though it provided him with protection, the costs of which the tabloids sometimes referred to him. Rushdie had not only a boulevard press against him, but besides any fellow writers.
Throughout many countries, muslim demonstrations which participants demanded the head of the author broke down, Satanic Verses Burned at the stake, intimidated the fresh publishers with threatening letters. The Italian book translator, Ettore Capriolo, was stabbed respective times, nipponese translator – Hitoshi Igarashi – was murdered, respective of the publishing houses were bombed. Life in hiding turned out to be a severe test, Rushdi's second relation broke up, he himself fell into deep depression, from which he only rose up entering another concubine in which his second boy was born. Gradually, over the years, British bodyguards considered that the threat was diminishing, possible travel, unannounced public appearances.
Rushdie released further books: Harun and the Sea of Tales, Maura's Last Breath, The ground below her feetwho brought him rewards and recognition. fresh York fresh promotion Fury It was scheduled for September 11, 2001. – I've always said that what happened to me is just a prologue, an introduction to the misfortunes that will affect many, many people. – summarized Rushdie's day of attack on the WTC in an interview with the regular Telegraph.
In February 2002, British services felt that the author no longer needed a permanent presence of bodyguards. Since then, Rushdie has continued to avoid public speaking, however, trying to lead as average a life as possible in his situation. However, destiny is an edict that cannot be cancelled, the award for the writer's head is inactive officially valid. For 33 years since the release of the fatwa it was even raised by half a million dollars – to 3.3 million.
33 years after issuing the Fatva conviction tried to execute the 24-year-old Hadi Matar, an American with Lebanese roots. On 12 August 2022, he attacked Rushdi during a discussion panel in Chautauqua, fresh York, wounding him in the neck, face and abdomen. Rushdie underwent 8 hours of surgery, and the doctors initially assumed he would not last it. He survived, but in his left hand, he's incapacitated, he can't see his right eye. Book Knife It's a evidence of the writer's recovery, but besides a therapeutic gesture. inactive physically weak author felt through this book that the attacker had not achieved his goal – Rushdi's voice is inactive heard.
The therapeutic measurement is besides to describe a dramatic situation with a sense of humor. Why was I standing like a paralysed erstwhile I was attacked? – the author wonders. I stood there like a piñata and let him stab me. It was like I was the main dish on his plate, a blood steak.. While doctors were cutting off Ralph Lauren's jacket, a thought ran through the head of the assassination victim: Oh, not my beautiful Ralph...
Rushdie tried to realize the attacker, though he refused to meet him while writing Knife. Describing Matar's life, he uses the nickname "A" due to the fact that he does not want to feed his lust for fame. A young man with Lebanese roots, who was born in the United States, radicalized during his visit to Lebanon and by following the online forums of Muslim extremists, as Rushdie calls “meetings with Imam Yutubi”. Z Satan’s Texts He read only 2 pages, knew almost nothing more about his victim. His name was not in any list of muslim extremists. Rushdie writes: I can't forgive him alone. But I won't refuse to forgive him if he wants to..
How's the author doing after his worst nightmares come true? Am I the same individual I was on August 11, or am I individual else now? In any ways, of course, I'm changed. – writes Rushdie, who is very disturbed by his sight loss. He considers it the top failure that the dramatic past of his life obscured his writing somewhat. I've turned into a freak who owes not so much to my books as unfortunate accidents in life. - I confess. Rushdie turned 77 in June and declares he wants to compose more books.
Book Knife. Reflections After Attempted Murder published by Rebis in Jerzy Kozłowski's translation.
Source: PAP / Agata Szwedowicz