Salman Rushdie makes first public appearance since attack

Salman Rushdie has made his first public appearance since he was stabbed and lost sight in one eye after being attacked at a literary event, joking that it was “nice to be back – as opposed to not being back, which was also an option”. Rushdie was a surprise attendee at the Pen America gala on Thursday night in New York. The author was greeted with a standing ovation according to the New York Times. After his remarks about being back, he said he was “pretty glad the dice rolled this way”. Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and torso while on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York in August 2022. He was in hospital for six weeks, and as well as losing vision in one eye also lost the use of one hand.