Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder (Unabridged)
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4.2 • 5 Ratings
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- $25.99
Publisher Description
#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • Named one of the Best Books of the Year by The New Yorker • The Globe and Mail • The Guardian • Winnipeg Free Press • NPR • Slate • Kirkus Reviews • TIME • From Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him.
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.
What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.
Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature’s capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A brush with death sets off this gripping memoir from literary legend Salman Rushdie. As Rushdie was about to speak at a 2022 event on artistic freedom, he was shockingly attacked by a man who stabbed him repeatedly. Reflecting on the traumatic event with depth and clarity, Rushdie ponders the impact of his work on the world—especially after a fatwa was issued against him following the publication of his controversial book The Satanic Verses. Through introspection and critical commentary, he confronts both his assailant and the world’s reaction to the attack, revealing much about the ongoing struggle for free expression in the process. Rushdie brilliantly blends political and cultural analysis with personal anecdotes as he examines the intersections between art and extremism. As the narrator, Rushdie brings a visceral power to even the book’s most intellectual moments. Guided by a steadfast commitment to the power of the written word, Knife is an essential listen for readers and writers everywhere.
