Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye and use of hand after attack, agent says

Jenny Goldsberry

October 23, 11:49 AM October 23, 11:49 AM

Author Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and movement in one hand in the two months since the frenzied attack against him.

Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, gave an update on the author's recovery from the "brutal attack" in an interview with El Pais, including the revelation that Rushdie had been stabbed a total of 18 times when accosted at a New York lecture.

"[His wounds] were profound, but he’s lost the sight of one eye," Wylie said. "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. So, it was a brutal attack."

SALMAN RUSHDIE ATTACKER INDICTED BY GRAND JURY

The last report on Rushdie's condition included a two-day stint on a ventilator, after which the author was able to speak. His liver had also been wounded during the attack.

Wylie would not confirm Rushdie's whereabouts, including whether the author was still receiving treatment in a hospital.

Rushdie, 75, drew controversy in the late 1980s upon the publication of The Satanic Verses, a book that many Muslims believed to be blasphemous. But the attack was "unexpected," according to Wylie, as it was decades ago that Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa that asked all Muslims to kill him. A bounty as high as $6 million was also placed on his life, according to the Index on Censorship.

"So, you can’t protect against that because it’s totally unexpected and illogical," Wylie said. "It was like John Lennon’s murder."

The literary agent, who has several celebrity clients, including author Stephen King and former President Donald Trump, said the danger has increased in recent times for his more controversial clients.

"The world is going through a very troubled period," Wylie said. "I think nationalism is on the rise, a sort of fundamentalist right is on the rise."

Rushdie's alleged attacker, Hadi Matar, was indicted by a grand jury in August. He pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder and assault charges.