All you need to know about Salman Rushdie’s life and works

Author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed on Friday in New York, may lose an eye in addition to having his liver damaged and one arm's nerves severed - according to his representative. He was stabbed in the neck and abdomen on August 12 by a man who stormed the stage as the author was ready to deliver a lecture in western New York. The author's book "The Satanic Verses" attracted death threats from Iran's government in the 1980s.

According to authorities, the 75-year-old victim was rushed to a hospital where he was undergoing surgery. There was no immediate word on his health. Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, was the assailant, according to the police. 

As Rushdie was being introduced on stage at the Chautauqua Institution, an Associated Press reporter saw the attacker approach him and strike or stab him 10 to 15 times. When the author was pushed or knocked to the ground, the man was taken into custody.

A look at Salman Rushdie's works, 

British Indian author Salman Rushdie is a Booker Prize winning writer who is born in Maharashtra's Mumbai on June 19, 1947. He lived in New York for the past 20 years and got the US citizenship in 2020. He got education from the University of Cambridge, where he received his M.A. degree in History in 1968. 

1975: His first novel “Grimus" was published.

1981: Rushdie's second novel “Midnight's Children” was released which has also won the Booker Prize. In 2008, it is named the "Booker of Bookers" after winning a public vote for the best Booker-winning novel in 40 years of the award.

1988: His "The Satanic Verses" was released and was swiftly banned in Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and other countries, along with banned for import to India. In 1989, Iran issues a fatwa, or religious decree, that calls for Rushdie to be killed for insulting Islam in "The Satanic Verses". The novel was considered by some Muslims as disrespect of the Prophet Mohammed. In 2009, Iran said the fatwa is "still valid". He is driven underground and for over a decade lives between safe houses and under the pseudonym Joseph Anton.

1990: Newsweek published an essay by Rushdie, "In Good Faith", in which he sought to defend the novel.

1993: Salman Rushdie participated in the founding the International Parliament of Writers aimed at protecting writers and freedom of speech. It is dissolved in 2003.

2005: His "Shalimar the Clown" was published, with many narrative threads revolving around Kashmir.

2007: He is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature, prompting widespread Muslim protests, notably in Pakistan.

2012: Publication of his memoir "Joseph Anton", looking back at his years underground.

2015: Rushdie's "Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights" was released.

2020: He was short listed for the Booker Prize for "Quichotte", a modern version of the Cervantes classic.

(With AFP inputs)