Not a Book Review: Salman Rushdie’s Knife and Writer Extraordinaire

At the beginning of the year, I decided to take a monthly subscription to the audiobook app – Audible to support my love for reading. Even though I absolutely love my paperbacks, an audiobook library never harmed a book lover. The decision was taken to make my daily commute on the Delhi Metro more enjoyable. To date, I have finished three audiobooks, all non-fiction, a genre I had not read in a long time.

The third and most recent audiobook that I finished was Knife, written
by Salman Rushdie. The book is the author’s reflection on life after he was attacked by an unknown assailant with a knife.

Previously, I had tried reading Rushdie’s work, but his magic realism couldn’t entice me. He is a masterful storyteller of this unusual form of writing. Avid bookworms claim that only a handful of writers have aced this form of storytelling, and Rushdie is one of them. Well, let me stick to this particular book, written in first person or more like a narration of the events that preceded and followed the attack on the writer in August 2022 in New York.

Also Read: Book Review: Time to Come Home

He mentions the way his mind and body reacted at the time of the attack. He talks about the ordeal of living with a single eye and how it took him months to come to terms with the fact, as described by him in the book – to live like a one-eyed man in a two-eyed world. He also mentions the unwavering support of his family, his wife, and children post-attack that helped him recover from the assault.

The writer’s prose is extraordinary, to say the least, as it keeps the reader hooked onto the entire novel, which could have been wrapped up in an article.

Rushdie also mentions the fact that he is an atheist and why he doesn’t need spirituality to conduct his life. He made me think as to why people move towards religion and spirituality as they grow, essentially to have an anchor in life, a moral compass or strength to
be able to handle life and its overwhelming challenges.

Rushdie’s command over the language is impeccable, and the expressions used are easy to comprehend, especially for readers who have not read his previous works.

One chapter that stood out for me is towards the end of the novel where the writer imagines himself questioning his attacker in a prison cell. The visualised exchange between the attacker and the victim is one for the big screen. A glorious director can convert it into an engaging scene. But let’s leave it to that and come back to the book. Rushdie’s craft shines through this chapter as he throws a volley of questions in front of his attacker.

Those questions are not mere questions but are preceded with elaborate context. The reader is aware that Rushdie never met his attacker, leaving aside interrogating him, but that exchange leaves an indelible mark on him. It makes one think about the depth of the author’s knowledge and the lack of attackers. It shows how fickle ignorance is
in front of sheer brilliance.

Also Read: Whispers of a Forgotten Past: A Book Review

Rushdie mentioned that the attack made him reflect on his life and brought back the ghosts of the past, especially his controversial book– The Satanic Verses – the one that changed the author’s life forever. That book was also the reason he was attacked in New York.

Ayatollah Khomeini, a political leader of Iran, in the 1980s, issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses. The book was deemed blasphemous by Khomeini.

Rushdie said he wrote Knife to respond to violence through his art. Well, only an artist can think like that. Here’s wishing for a world full of artists and no conflict. Amen.

As I add the author’s Memoir – Joseph Anton – to my wishlist, this one will stay with me for some time at least.