Was Rushdie living in a fool’s paradise by not being more cautious? Yes, there were mistakes, but no regrets because for almost 23 years he enjoyed freedom and a full life in New York. After six weeks of recovery in hospitals, he was relieved to return to the city.
More than any country, Rushdie is attracted to cities (New York, London, Bombay) – and this echoes the title of his last novel, Vijay Nagar, which was published at the right time. Although he was broken and injured, his escape from the jaws of death was a triumph, and he could now celebrate the release of the novel in his beloved city. He was happy with its welcome.
Rushdie was helpless on the day of the attack, but that does not mean he was defeated. The attacker is in jail. Rushdie, on the other hand, is free – and has his own knife, the knife of language, which he uses with unmatched dexterity to fight back.
One positive outcome is that more people are sympathetic and have come to Rushdie’s side, realizing how high the stakes are in this battle of ideas. And thus, life for him continues one day at a time. Borrowing a phrase from Rushdie’s first interview after the attack, “You bounce until you fall.”
(The author is a writer and managing editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. This is an opinion and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
