I Remember Thinking I Was Dying: Salman Rushdie Relives Brutal Knife Attack in 2022

The 76-year-old British-American author was on stage in August 2022 when he was stabbed up to 12 times by accused Hadi Matar in prison for attempted murder. He ultimately lost his right eye.

“Why didn't I fight? Why didn't I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me,” Salman Rushdie writes, according to memoir excerpts released by The Guardian newspaper.

"It didn't feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable... matter-of-fact."

While Iran denied any link with the attacker, it said only Salman Rushdie, now 76 years old, was to blame for the incident. The suspect, then 24, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.