Sir Salman Rushdie reveals in new interview 'no explanation' for how he survived brutal New York stabbing in 2022

Sir Salman Rushdie says he 'has no explanation' for how he survived a brutal stabbing, writing in his new book that it felt like 'a miracle'.

The Booker Prize-winning author, who was stabbed in New York in 2022, has given his first TV interview about the assault, describing how his attacker came in 'hard and low – a squat missile'.

It led to him spending six weeks in hospital and losing his right eye. Doctors said he was lucky to escape with his life.

Sir Salman Rushdie says he 'has no explanation' for how he survived a brutal stabbing, writing in his new book that it felt like 'a miracle'

Hadi Matar, the man charged of the attempted murder of British author Salman Rushdi, in 2022

But the Indian-born novelist, a fierce critic of religion, described how his brush with death left him wrestling with how and why he had survived.

'This is a contradiction,' he admitted, in the interview with US show 60 Minutes. 

'How does someone who doesn't believe in the supernatural account for the fact that something has happened that feels like a miracle? I have no explanation for it.'

Sir Salman, 76, is the author of 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which led to the supreme leader of Iran calling for his death and a £2.5million bounty placed on his head.

Sir Salman, 76, is the author of 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which led to the supreme leader of Iran calling for his death and a £2.5million bounty placed on his head

In the decades since, he said, he had 'sometimes imagined my assassin rising up in some public forum'.

He added that his first thought, on seeing his attacker approaching him at New York's Chautauqua Institution, was: 'So it's you. Here you are.'

The novelist has written an account of the stabbing called Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder, which will be published next week.