British writer Salman Rushdie, who was attacked by Muslims in New York in August of last year, said in his first media interview that he “still suffers from nightmares.”
On the 6th (local time), Rushdie said this in an interview with the New Yorker, an American weekly magazine, and told about the recent writing process and current situation.
“I feel somewhat better now,” he said. “I do have terrible nightmares from time to time, although I don’t dream about the attack.”
Rushdi received death threats for blaspheming Islam in his 1998 novel The Devil’s Poem. The attack in August last year left him blind in one eye and unable to use one of his hands. At the time, Rushdy’s agent, Andrew Wiley, said in an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais, “(Rushdy) suffered three serious wounds on his neck and can’t use one hand because his arm nerves were severed.” There are more scars,” he explained.
Currently, Rushdie’s condition has improved through steady rehabilitation. He said, “It has improved a lot since the attack,” and “the big wounds have healed, and I am continuing to receive rehabilitation treatment.” During an interview, he even revealed the scars on his hands.
He also revealed his position on the situation at the time of the attack. When asked if anyone should be held accountable for an assassination attempt that occurred due to a lack of security, Rushdie said, “It is the fault of the attacker,” and criticized the attack as “an act of fools.” The man who ran into Rushdi was Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old Shiite Muslim man born to a Lebanese immigrant family. Confessed.
Rushdie will not participate in the publicity event for his new novel ‘Victory City’, which will be published soon, but has expressed his desire to attend the opening ceremony of his play ‘Helen’ in London.
After the attack, he complained that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was struggling with his writing activities. He said, “Even if I sit down and write, I end up writing only empty clutter, so I delete it the next day.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.