Salman Rushdie will not be appearing in public to promote his latest novel, the Guardian reports.
Andrew Wylie, the novelist’s longtime friend and agent, told the newspaper that Rushdie is still recovering from injuries he sustained after being stabbed multiple times last August on stage in Chautauqua, New York, where he was preparing to give a lecture. The attack left Rushdie unable to see out of one eye and cost him the use of one hand.
A suspect in the attack, Hadi Matar, has been indicted on second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault charges.
Rushdie’s new novel, Victory City, tells the story of a 9-year-old girl in southern India who is used by a goddess to create a wondrous city. The novel, set for publication in the U.S. on Feb. 7 by Random House, has received positive reviews from critics. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called it “a grand entertainment, in a tale with many strands, by an ascended master of modern legends.”
Three chapters of PEN International—PEN America, PEN Canada and English PEN—are holding a free online celebration of the novel on Feb. 9, with Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood discussing the book and actor Sarita Choudhury, who appeared in the 2012 film adaptation of Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, reading from it.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
