Точка Синхронізації

Renowned British-American author Salman Rushdie detailed the harrowing 2022 assassination attempt against him during a high-profile '60 Minutes' interview with Anderson Cooper in New York, marking his first television appearance since the life-altering event. The interview, which aired recently on CBS, served as the public introduction to his new memoir titled 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,' a literary work he produced to reclaim his narrative and process the physical and psychological trauma of the assault. Rushdie’s appearance highlighted his resilience following the brutal stabbing at the Chautauqua Institution, which left him blind in one eye and caused extensive nerve damage to his hand. During the deeply personal conversation, Rushdie recounted the moment a 24-year-old assailant rushed the stage and stabbed him approximately 15 times over a period of 27 seconds. He described the initial shock of the confrontation, which occurred decades after a fatwa was issued against him by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini following the publication of 'The Satanic Verses.' The author admitted that for many years, he believed the danger had passed, only to be confronted by a 'time traveler' from the past who sought to execute those long-standing threats. The memoir 'Knife' serves as both a graphic account of the violence and a philosophical reflection on the power of love and art over hatred. Beyond the medical details of his recovery, the interview explored the broader implications of free speech and the cost of literary provocation. Rushdie’s survival and subsequent return to the public eye have been hailed as a victory for secularism and creative freedom. By documenting the incident in such granular detail, Rushdie noted that he is transforming a victimizing experience into a creative act of defiance. He told Cooper that while the physical scars remain permanent, the act of writing the book allowed him to 'take charge' of what happened, effectively ensuring that the attacker did not have the final word on his life or his legacy.