Latest news with #ChautauquaInstitution
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sir Salman Rushdie has found 'closure' after knife attack
Sir Salman Rushdie is "over" the knife attack which almost killed him because he's found "closure". The 77-year-old author was left critically injured after he was stabbed repeatedly onstage just moments before he was due to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state in August 2022 and he suffered life-changing injuries including the loss of an eye - but Rushdie is adamant he just wants to move on with his life and stop talking about the horrifying incident. During an appearance at the Hay Festival in Wales over the weekend, Rushdie told the audience: "[I am feeling] excellent … this is as good as it gets ... "[There are] bits of me that I'm annoyed about, not having a right eye is annoying … but on the whole I've been fortunate and I'm better than maybe I would have expected." Hadi Matar, 27, is serving 25 years behind bars after being convicted of attempted murder and assault following a trial which concluded in February, while Rushdie wrote about his experiences in his book 'Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder' - and he's adamant he wants put the incident behind him now. He said: "I'm glad that trial is over and done with. And that he got the maximum sentence. The closure was more finishing writing about it ... "Ever since the attack, really, the only thing anybody's wanted to talk to me about is the attack. And I'm over it. It will be nice to have stories to talk about. "When I wanted to be a writer, it never occurred to me that I would write about myself. That seemed like the most uninteresting thing of all. I wanted to make stuff up." The novelist was airlifted to hospital after the attack and underwent eight hours of surgery. He lost an eye and suffered multiple stab wounds to areas of his face, neck, chest and hand, remaining under the care of doctors for 18 days before starting three weeks of rehabilitation treatment. Rushdie previously revealed he leaned on a therapist to help him write about the near-fatal stabbing - explaining it was the first book he's ever needed help writing. Speaking at a question-and-answer session at an English PEN event at the Southbank Centre in London, Rushdie explained: "[It is the] only book I've ever written with the help of a therapist. "It gave me back control of the narrative. Instead of being a man lying on the stage with a pool of blood, I'm a man writing a book about a man live on stage with a pool of blood. That felt good." However, he still found it tough to describe the incident that almost claimed his life. He said: "'The first chapter] in which I have to describe in some detail the exact nature of the attack. It was very hard to do."
NDTV
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Salman Rushdie Says He's "Pleased" Attacker Got Maximum 25-Year Sentence
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Sir Salman Rushdie is pleased with the 25-year sentence for his attacker. Hadi Matar, Rushdie's assailant, was convicted of attempted murder and assault. Rushdie was stabbed multiple times, leaving him blind in one eye. Booker Prize-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie has said he is "pleased" that the man who brutally attacked him on stage in 2022 has been handed the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The 77-year-old Indian-born British author was stabbed multiple times during an event at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, leaving him blind in one eye. Rushdie testified at the 2025 trial of Hadi Matar, a US citizen who was convicted of attempted murder and assault earlier this year. Matar was sentenced to 25 years for the attack on Rushdie and an additional seven years for injuring another man who was on stage at the time. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Monday, Rushdie said, "I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds." "AI Could Imagine a Conversation Better Than Reality" Rushdie also spoke about working with the late BBC producer Alan Yentob on a unique 2024 documentary, which used artificial intelligence to simulate a fictional conversation between the author and his attacker - a concept inspired by Rushdie's memoir Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder. "I thought if I was to really meet him and ask questions, I wouldn't get very much out of him... So I thought, I could open that conversation myself - probably better than a real one would go," Rushdie said, referring to the AI-generated dialogue. He added that the animation was "very startling" and "certainly made a point". Remembering Alan Yentob Rushdie paid tribute to Alan Yentob, who passed away on Saturday, calling him an "unbelievable champion of the arts" and "a giant of British media". "He will be remembered as a maker of great programmes and an enabler of great programmes as well," Rushdie said.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
I'm ‘pleased' that knifeman who blinded me was given 25 years in prison, says Salman Rusdie
©Press Association Today at 21:30 Salman Rushdie has said he is 'pleased' that the man who stabbed him multiple times on stage received the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The 77-year-old Booker Prize-winning author gave evidence during the 2025 trial about the 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, which left him blind in one eye.
Wales Online
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Salman Rushdie 'pleased' as man who stabbed him blind is jailed for 25 years
Salman Rushdie 'pleased' as man who stabbed him blind is jailed for 25 years Hadi Matar was found guilty of attempted murder and assault over the 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, which left the Booker Prize-winning author blind in one eye. Sir Salman Rushdie (Image: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved ) Sir Salman Rushdie has expressed his satisfaction that the man who repeatedly stabbed him during a stage appearance received the longest possible sentence of 25 years behind bars. The 77-year-old author, known for winning the Booker Prize, provided testimony at the 2025 trial regarding the violent 2022 episode at New York's Chautauqua Institution, which resulted in him losing sight in one eye. Hadi Matar, a US national, was found guilty in February of attempted murder and assault, receiving his sentence earlier this month. He was given a seven-year sentence for injuring another individual who shared the stage with the author during the assault. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday, the Indian-born British novelist Sir Salman remarked: "I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds." He also recounted his collaboration with late BBC producer Alan Yentob on a 2024 BBC Two programme which included an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated dialogue, based on a fictional exchange with his attacker Matar that was described in his autobiography, 'Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder. '. Article continues below Reflecting on how he imagined a face-to-face encounter with Matar might go, Sir Salman noted: "I thought if I was to really meet him, to ask him questions, I wouldn't get very much out of him. I doubt that he would open his heart to me." He considered that creating the interaction himself was more effective, stating: "And so I thought, 'well, I could open it by myself. I'd probably do it better than a real conversation would'." Sir Salman added: "(The AI animation) was very startling. I have to say it really certainly made a point." Sir Salman Rushdie has hailed former BBC executive and TV presenter Alan Yentob as an "unbelievable champion of the arts" with a "real gift for friendship". "He's one of the giants of British media in the last generation," Sir Salman remarked. "I think he will be remembered as a maker of great programmes and as an enabler of great programmes as well," he added. Reflecting on his own career, Sir Salman credited Yentob with giving him his first break on a programme that featured Sir Ben Kingsley reading his book Midnight's Children before it won the Booker Prize, and prior to the publication of his controversial 1988 book The Satanic Verses. The Satanic Verses led to accusations of blasphemy from hardline Muslims and resulted in Iran's then-leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for Sir Salman's death in 1989. In a lighter vein, Sir Salman recalled spoofing himself and Yentob in an arm-wrestling skit on the BBC satirical show W1A. Addressing the Kids Company scandal that forced Yentob to resign, Sir Salman expressed that it was "horrendous" and emphasised: "I think it needs to be said, repeatedly, (he was) completely exonerated, and so were all the other directors." Yentob, who chaired the board of trustees for Kids Company from its inception in 2003 until its collapse in 2015, consistently denied any conflict of interest regarding his intervention with Newsnight's investigation into the charity and maintained he had not "abused my position at the BBC". During Yentob's tenure at BBC2, he commissioned Absolutely Fabulous, featuring Jennifer Saunders and Dame Joanna Lumley, the arts series The Late Show, and Have I Got News For You. Article continues below He also initiated CBBC and CBeebies, commissioned Pride And Prejudice starring Colin Firth, and in 2024 was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the King for his services to the arts and media.
Powys County Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Sir Salman Rushdie ‘pleased' by maximum sentence for attacker
Sir Salman Rushdie has said he is 'pleased' that the man who stabbed him multiple times on stage received the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The 77-year-old Booker Prize-winning author gave evidence during the 2025 trial about the 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, which left him blind in one eye. US citizen Hadi Matar was found guilty of attempted murder and assault in February and sentenced this month. He was also sentenced to seven years for wounding another man who was on stage with the writer at the time of the attack. On Monday, Indian-born British author Sir Salman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds.' He also spoke about working with BBC producer Alan Yentob, who died on Saturday, on a 2024 BBC Two programme that featured an artificial intelligence (AI) creation, based on his fictional conversation with Matar that he recalled in his autobiography Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder. Sir Salman said: 'I thought if I was to really meet him, to ask him questions, I wouldn't get very much out of him. I doubt that he would open his heart to me. 'And so I thought, 'well, I could open it by myself. I'd probably do it better than a real conversation would'.' He added: '(The AI animation) was very startling. I have to say it really certainly made a point.' Sir Salman called former BBC executive and TV presenter Yentob not just an 'unbelievable champion of the arts', but someone who has a 'real gift for friendship'. 'He's one of the giants of British media in the last generation,' he also said. 'I think he will be remembered as a maker of great programmes and as an enabler of great programmes as well.' Sir Salman recalled Yentob gave him his first break with a programme that saw Sir Ben Kingsley read his book Midnight's Children before he won the Booker Prize, and the publication of his 1988 book The Satanic Verses. It was The Satanic Verses that saw Sir Salman accused of being blasphemous by hardline Muslims and prompted then Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa calling for his death in 1989. He later spoofed himself and Yentob, when they appeared to arm wrestle on the BBC satirical programme W1A. Sir Salman also said that it was 'horrendous' that the Kids Company controversy made him resign as the author added: 'I think it needs to be said, repeatedly, (he was) completely exonerated, and so were all the other directors.' Yentob served as chairman of the board of trustees for Kids Company, founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh, from 2003 until the collapse of the charity in 2015. He always insisted there was no conflict of interest in his decision to call Newsnight about its investigation into Kids Company and had not 'abused my position at the BBC'. During Yentob's tenure at BBC2, Absolutely Fabulous, starring Jennifer Saunders and Dame Joanna Lumley, arts series The Late Show and Have I Got News For You, were commissioned.
