'It's the books that matter, not the knives': Salman Rushdie | The Conversation | BBC News India

Sir Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born British-American author, spoke to Newshour's Razia Iqbal in an exclusive interview nearly a year after he was stabbed in New York. In this conversation, Sir Rushdie opens up about life after the attack and talks about the power of books.

The Booker Prize winning author suffered years of Islamist death threats after writing his fourth novel The Satanic Verses.

This interview first aired on BBC’s Newshour programme on the World Service.

Thumbnail image: Getty

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[qalat]

It is shame for any man to attack an elder man because you disagree with his view, once savge always. Long life to Rushdi !

[KNKLDK]

Admire the courage of Salman Rushdie. To live for twenty years without any security talks volumes about it.

[EarlEBird-fzyr]

I was, like so many of us, horrified to witness Salman Rushdie being attacked in the way he was and now delighted to see that he has made a recovery. A giant in the literary world and to one who I send my grateful thanks, his work has followed and captivated me for years.

[SuperTonyony]

For those who are unaware, many of Rushdie’s books and short stories fall under the heading of fantasy or alternate histories. As a person whose reading tastes lean toward sf and fantasy but very rarely toward “high brow fiction”, I was very pleasantly surprised at how imaginative and engaging Rushdie’s fantasy works are. I recommend him very highly! 👍🏻😊❤️

[sillysod]

The fact that SSR’s very presence infuriates hundreds of millions of braindead troglodytes worldwide makes him even more precious. SSR is a treasure and a gem 💖💖💖

[showmetheway]

The things that modern medicine can do are so impressive.

Of course, the strength of the individual is a huge factor.

Well done on everything, Sir.

[psidhu]

Hahaha bloody brilliant "people have lost their lives as a response to words you wrote." "People lost their lives as a response to a terrorist fascist attack" - Classic Rushdie

[subhendu]

Thank you Hadi Matar. You prompted me to read one of the finest book ever written.
It is shocking that a book that has so much love for people can generate such hatred.
How can someone hate this gentleman, sensitive, Compassionate man?

[theicemaiden]

I think Mr Rushdie has been and remains very brave. I get the feeling he didn't know quite how adored he was until he saw how much support he was getting after the attack. He has given readers much joy through his work (myself included) over the decades and I personally love his "this has happened, now let's deal with it" attitude. I wish him the very best and hope that the psychopath who attacked him goes away for a very, very long time.

[stevegrantley]

What a brave man. Razia is a wonderful interviewer.

[balgrantango]

So very grateful to have Salman Rushdie still with us and may he long thrive. Dante would have designed a whole new level of the underworld for the perpetrators of such crimes as were committed against Rushdie, a level of the underworld where he can be forgotten. Great interview.

[tlcservisesfbtm]

A big salute to Salman Rushdie for his strengths, holistic look at the world, wry sense of humour, zest for life and the great equanimity he shows about dealing with dangerous experiences in life that he has endured.

[ramdularsingh]

You are really really the true hero of ours Salman Sir ! You shall win the world the way you are progressing now ! You do have the guts and capacity for it all. GOD bless you !....

[elspethgibson]

This is why we have to stop making cultural excuses for fanaticism. We have to fight religious extremism in all its manifestations

[homafattahi]

Satanic Verses and Midnight children are my favourite books by Mr. Rushdie. What's maddening is how total ignorance gives rise to prejuidice, and provoks subsequent criminal actions toward a fiction in true sense!!

[_years_and_]

He is so brave to challenge world's most dangerous cult . ⚔️🗡️🔥

[shylanambiar]

Talk about sacrificing yourself for your art. First a fatwa and now attempted murder. Rushdie is a true literary hero.

[VersusArdua]

Imagine being so butthurt that somebody you dont know wrote a book that's critical of your faith that you actually seethe with enough hatred to physically attack that person? These extremists are sick. If there are bombs going off in your homeland that are killing women and children, thats a legitimate gripe. I can understand the motivation there for taking some sort of retribution, no matter how misguided. But over a book? Its just pathetic, really.

[windowman]

Religion poisons everything: Christopher Hitchens 🇮🇪

[normadesmond]

horrible, horrible what happened to him. for writing a book he was threatened for years and years. until they finally got him. and I admire his strength to his craft and keeps on going.