Friends and fellow writers represented Salman Rushdie at a rally on the steps of the New York Public Library main building on Friday, a week after he was attacked on stage in western New York. I raised my voice. He was hospitalized with a stabbing wound.
Rushdie's condition improved and he was taken off the ventilator, according tocopyright agent.
Jeffrey Eugenides, Tina Brown and Kiran Desai shared their wishes for a full recovery, told stories of Rushdie being an inspiration and advocate for free expression, and published his book, I read essays, passages from speeches. The Satanic Verses, from his 1988 novel that was accused by some Muslims of being blasphemous.
Rushdie has been in hiding for years after the Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued his 1989 decree fatwa calling for his death, but has spent the last two decades traveling freely. It was a.
"Champions of Words and Writers"
The hour-long "Stand with Salman" gathering was partly funded by the library, Rushdie's publisher, his Penguin Random House, and literary scholars. was presented to Human rights organization PEN America.
Hundreds of people attended, many belonging to PEN, and the 75-year-old Rushdie is a former president.
Speaker, PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel.
"Today we celebrate what Salman endured and, more importantly, what he produced: the stories, characters, metaphors and images he gave to the world.
Although the rally did not include Rushdie's new words, Nossel said the author was aware of the event and even offered suggestions as to what to read.
Rushdie's son, Zafar Rushdie, who lives with his father, tweeted that it was "great to see the crowd gathering" outside the library.
"Let's Stand Up to Salman" took place the day after a Mayville, New York judge refused bail for 24-year-old Hadi Mathar, who pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges. .
Other readers of the event included author and journalist Gay Tallies, author and former PEN President Andrew Solomon, and poet, attorney and activist Reginald Dwayne Betts.
"The World We Used to Live In"
Actor Asif Mandvi recites Rushdie's next novel,Victory City, . The attack includes the line: "I myself am nothing now. All that remains is the city of words. Only words are winners."
Eugenides wrote novels such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Middlesex and was published in the early 1980s. I remember traveling to London on Eugenides, in his 20s, recently published Rushdie's groundbreaking novel Midnight's Children . He learns that Rushdie lives there and decides that he wants to meet him. It was many years before The Satanic Verses was published and he Eugenides found his name and address in a telephone directory.
"I took the subway to his house. After all, Salman wasn't home. He was in Italy and on vacation." Law, then left a note to the author.
"It was the world we used to live in," added Eugenides.
