Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2024

An enthralling account of survival and recovery by the internationally acclaimed author and Booker Prize winner, Salman Rushdie.

On the morning of August 12th, 2022, Salman Rushdie was on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of protecting writers from danger, when a man dressed in black – with a black mask – rushed at him holding a knife. His first thought: So, this is how it is? Let me see you.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shocked the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and healing made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his team of doctors and physiotherapists, as well as the community of readers around the world.

"Knife" is Rushdie writing with urgency, seriousness, and unwavering honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature's ability to make sense of the unimaginable. This is an intimate and life-affirming meditative study on life, loss, love, art, and finding the strength to stand up again.

From the newspapers SPECTATOR, DAILY TELEGRAPH, INDEPENDENT, THE TIMES, EVENING STANDARD, PROSPECT, OBSERVER, AND GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

Pages: 224, Dimensions: 16x16cm