New Documentary Chronicles Salman Rushdie’s Harrowing Attack and Resilient Recovery

A new film, directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney, chronicles author Salman Rushdie's recovery following a stabbing attack in August 2022. The documentary incorporates video diary entries from Rushdie's wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, alongside archival footage detailing the 1989 fatwa issued against him. The attack occurred almost 400 miles from the couple's New York residence, where Griffiths received news of her husband's injuries.

Griffiths observed chaotic scenes on television as people rushed to Rushdie's aid, learning he had been stabbed multiple times and was in critical condition. She chartered a plane to reach his hospital bedside, uncertain if he would survive.

Both Rushdie and Griffiths have also released individual memoirs discussing the events; Rushdie's 'Knife' was published in 2024, and Griffiths' 'The Flower Bearers' earlier this year. The film, titled 'Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie,' combines Griffiths' contemporary footage with the historical material.

Documenting a Difficult Recovery

After it became clear that Rushdie would survive, Griffiths, who is a poet and photographer, began a video diary. This diary recorded his medical treatment and rehabilitation process. Rushdie initially suggested a simple iPhone photo, but Griffiths envisioned a more extensive artistic project. She acquired a professional camera, viewing it as a vital step in reconnecting with her artistic identity and allowing both to process their experience creatively.

The couple discussed their ordeal from separate rooms in their New York home via a video link for the film. Rushdie's experience during the attack contrasted with a prior 20-year period during which he made numerous public appearances globally without incident. He criticized the security arrangements at the Chautauqua institution in upstate New York, where the attack took place, noting what he perceived as the venue's naivety.

Historical Context and Security Concerns

Gibney's film draws parallels between Rushdie's 2022 injuries and the historical context of the 1989 fatwa. This religious decree was issued by Iran's then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, following alleged blasphemy in Rushdie's novel 'The Satanic Verses.' The fatwa led to nine years of armed protection for Rushdie.

The documentary highlights the intense global reaction to the fatwa, which included a firebombing at a newspaper office in the U.S. that supported free expression.

Riots in Pakistan resulted in six fatalities, and a translator was fatally stabbed in Japan. Another translator suffered a stabbing in Italy.

In London, protestors paraded an effigy of Rushdie, with some openly calling for his execution. Initially, Rushdie was reluctant to revisit the past in the film, considering his attacker an isolated individual rather than a symbol of a broader issue.

However, the film also includes a prediction by Palestinian-American historian Edward Said, who foresaw that Rushdie's primary threat might eventually come from a random individual rather than an organized religious extremist.