The English Book Club – Salman Rushdie, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder

In 1989, a fatal fatwa was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against the author, who, decades later in August 2022, was violently attacked in front of an audience while giving a public lecture. In his autobiography, written as part of his process of healing from the trauma, Rushdie reflects on the attack, its aftermath, and his physical and, even more so, emotional recovery, while emphasizing the important role of family and friends in his journey towards recovery and coping with the loss of his eye. He also explores the mindset and background of his assailant, referred to only as “A”, through imagined, fictional conversations, portraying him as shaped by online radicalization, misinformation, and a violent digital culture, including extremist YouTube propaganda. Rushdie considers whether the attacker’s cruelty was innate or developed through the influence of propaganda and radicalization within his personal environment.