First public appearance of Salman Rushdie since his knife attack – Liberation

The symbol is powerful. The British intellectual and writer of Indian origin, Salman Rushdie, who has lived since 1989 under the threat of a fatwa issued by Iran, reappeared on Thursday April 18 for the first time in public since he was violently attacked. stabbed in the United States in August 2022 by an Islamist. And for his return, the author of satanic verses chose the gala of the American organization PEN, a fervent defender of the freedom of expression of authors. A surprise arrival for the 700 guests, in front of whom he launched a vibrant appeal in English, French and Spanish: “Terrorism should not terrorize us. Violence should not deter us. The struggle continues.”

Last February, the novelist spoke for the first time since his attack, confiding in the New Yorker suffer from post-traumatic stress and struggle to resume writing. On the photograph of the American magazine, Salman Rushdie wears glasses, one of the lenses of which, blackened, hides his right eye. Stigma, with the loss of the use of one of his hands, of the outburst of violence he suffered in August 2022 in Chautauqua, a small town in the State of New York. He always wore them, this Thursday, at the writers’ gala. Just as he continues to carry high his fight for freedom of expression.