Celebrated British-Indian author Sir Salman Rushdie will return to the UK for his first live public appearance since he was seriously injured in a stabbing.

Expressing joy at coming back “after far too long”, the author is set to feature in a special session at the Hay Festival, where he’ll discuss his latest works Knife and Victory City.

The 2022 assault occurred after years of living under threat, stemming from outrage over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses.

Rushdie will be joining a lineup of notable guests in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, which includes Donald Trump’s niece, actor Michael Sheen, Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones, and presenter Stacey Dooley.

Author of 22 books across fiction and nonfiction, Sir Salman received the Booker Prize for Midnight’s Children.

He also earned shortlist spots for The Satanic Verses and Quichotte.

Now 77, he spent several years in hiding following the release of The Satanic Verses—a fictional narrative drawing from the life of the Prophet Muhammad—which provoked widespread outrage.

The novel faced bans in countries like India, Pakistan, and South Africa and led to a 1989 fatwa from Iran’s then-leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, urging his assassination.

Over three decades later, in August 2022, Rushdie was brutally attacked on stage during a lecture in New York.

He sustained life-altering injuries, including damage to his liver, blindness in one eye, and paralysis in a hand due to nerve damage.

His assailant, 27-year-old Hadi Matar, was found guilty of attempted murder and assault and may serve over 30 years in prison.

Reflecting on the attack in 2024, Rushdie shared that his damaged eye had been left dangling “like a soft-boiled egg” and that losing it remains a daily source of grief.

“I truly believed I was dying at that moment,” he recalled.
“Thankfully, I wasn’t.”

Rushdie explained that his book Knife served as a means of reclaiming power and processing the traumatic experience.

Around 150,000 people attend the Hay Festival each spring, and this year will mark its 38th edition.

With over 600 sessions scheduled between 22 May and 1 June, Festival President Sir Stephen Fry called the gathering a “celebration of bold thinking.”

Julie Finch, CEO of Hay Festival Global, said it was a privilege to welcome Sir Salman in person.

She remarked: “This one-of-a-kind event will delve into his latest writing and the transformative role of storytelling.”

“We understand how significant this appearance will be for so many.