Months after the knife attack, Salman Rushdie's new book is released

The novel, which was written before the US knife attack that nearly killed the Indian-born author, claims to be a translation of a Sanskrit historical epic.

on Feb 06, 2023

Six months after being stabbed, British author Salman Rushdie releases "Victory City," a "epic tale" of a 14th-century woman who defies a patriarchal world to rule a city, on Tuesday.

The novel, written before the US knife attack that nearly killed the Indian-born author, claims to be a translation of a Sanskrit historical epic.

The much-anticipated work tells the story of a young orphan girl named Pampa Kampana who is endowed with magical powers by a goddess and goes on to found the city of Bisnaga, which translates as Victory City, in modern-day India.

Despite his agent Andrew Wylie's statement to The Guardian that Rushdie's "recovery is progressing," the 75-year-old author will not be promoting his 15th book due to his physical health.

On August 12, he was attacked as he prepared to speak at a conference in Chautauqua, upstate New York, near Lake Erie.

The author had lived in hiding for years after Iran's first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordered his killing for what he deemed the blasphemous nature of "The Satanic Verses".

Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old from New Jersey with Lebanese ancestors, was arrested immediately following the stabbing and pleaded not guilty to the charges.