Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born British-American author, was stabbed numerous times before his presentation at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on Friday, August 12. According to various sources, Rushdie was airlifted to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. Rushdie was stabbed numerous times throughout the attack, including in the neck, abdomen, and other areas. He also suffered damage to many organs, including his liver and one of his eyes, from which he may lose eyesight. On August 13, the author’s agent, Andrew Wylie, informed Reuters:
“Salman will almost certainly lose one eye; his arm’s nerves were cut, and his liver was stabbed and destroyed.”
Rushdie, 75, was unable to talk on Friday because he was on a ventilator. However, the world-famous author’s health seems to have improved since then. Rushdie was afterwards “off the ventilator and chatting (and laughing),” according to British novelist Aatish Taseer.
Salman Rushdie’s book sales are surging on Amazon now. I myself just bought 3 more of his books I didn’t own.
You can kill a man, but you can never kill an idea, @khamenei_ir. pic.twitter.com/0EjuRG3ywI
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר (@emilykschrader) August 13, 2022
Salman Rushdie’s Net worth and literary career
Salman Rushdie is valued at between $10 and $15 million as of February 2024, according to statistics compiled from numerous web sources. The bulk of his money may be traced back to the single most important event in his life: the publication of his divisive book, The Satanic Verses. The book’s sales immediately after its release in 1988 were nothing out of usual. However, the representation of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in The Satanic Verses sparked a tremendous outrage in Pakistan in February 1989. Following this, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s late and former leader, issued a Fatwa (Islamic legal pronouncement) against Salman Rushdie and the book’s publishers. The Fatwa also called for their executions, forcing Rushdie to go into hiding for over a decade.
The book’s sales increased as a result of the tremendous religious outcry and controversy it sparked. Salman Rushdie earned roughly $2 million in the first year of the book’s distribution, according to Daniel Pipes’ 1990 book, The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah, and the West. Meanwhile, a 2012 Daily Mail piece by Geoffrey Levi stated that Rushdie had purchased a multi-million pound property on Bishop’s Avenue in Hampstead.
Salman Rushdie is one of the most successful writers of the twentieth century, having written 12 novels as well as several essays and children’s books. Rushdie talked up about his spending habits and hinted at how he got such a big fortune in a 2020 interview with IOL’s Chris Taylor. The Golden PEN Award recipient said that he did not have a lot of money at the start of his career. He stated:
“I was broke most of the time.” In the UK, you might find a part-time job at an advertising firm and work two or three days a week. “Midnight’s Children” took me five years to complete, and I supported myself by working at Ogilvy & Mather.”
The author of Shalimar the Clown went on to say:
“I’ve always been very frugal with money.” I didn’t purchase a fast automobile, for example, but rather a regular Citroen. Even if I had the money, I would never buy a Lamborghini. I don’t have and have never had lavish tastes.”
Salman Rushdie’s net worth looks to be increasing despite the unfortunate occurrence that just landed him in the hospital. According to Indy100, sales of The Satanic Verses have surged since news of the stabbing broke. Several of Rushdie’s works have re-entered the best-sellers list on sites such as Amazon in the last 48 hours.
