Salman RushdieEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

In August of 2022, author Salman Rushdie, speaking onstage about how to protect writers at the venerable Chautauqua Institution in western New York, was attacked by a 24-year-old man with no prior criminal history who stabbed him 15 times, nearly killing him. Salman (“Midnight's Children”, “The Satanic Verses”, “Fury”, and “The Golden House”) and Rachel Eliza Griffiths (“Miracle Arrhythmia”, “Mule and Pear”, “Seeing the Body”, “The Flower Bearers”) join Mike to discuss “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie,” Alex Gibney's documentary built from Rushdie's memoir of a similar name and the raw footage Griffiths began shooting in the trauma ward in the attack's immediate aftermath. Eliza, who served as cinematographer and executive producer, explains how filming began not as a movie but as a way to "take back a little power" and document recovery, using a professional camera a friend sent her rather than a phone. The two discuss Gibney's decision to withhold the actual attack footage until deep into the film, building tension the way Truman Capote structured “In Cold Blood”, and the striking device of restaging the memoir’s imaginary conversation between Salman and his assaulter using a scene from Kurosawa's “High and Low” with the attacker rendered mute and subtitled only. Salman reflects on grappling with the attacker's seemingly motiveless violence, the painful history of “The Satanic Verses”’s backlash within South Asian communities, and how the film's Kurosawa/Cat Stevens/Dylan-laced structure mirrors his own maximalist, allusion-driven imagination. Both guests explore the tension between public disclosure and private boundaries, noting the film reveals intense vulnerability while still preserving certain "no-fly zones." They also talk candidly about friendship and loss (Christopher Hitchens, Martin Amis, Paul Auster, Raymond Carver), Rushdie's recurring "through the looking glass" framework for the major relocations of his life, and the emotional return to the Chautauqua stage 13 months later that gave Rushdie an unexpected physical sense of a weight lifting. The conversation closes on what happiness and gratitude look like after coming close to death, with both Griffiths and Rushdie describing a hard-won, "wounded" but genuine joy toward the strangers who intervened to save Rushdie's life. “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie” opens at the IFC in New York on September 17th, followed by a North American-wide release later in the fall, and forthcoming rollout in the UK and Ireland. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix . Follow: @topdocspod on Instagram and X

Knife, an interview with Salman Rushdie and Rachel Eliza Griffiths # Exploring the Depths of Trauma in 'Knife' > A candid conversation with Salman Rushdie and Eliza about their documentary journey. In this deeply moving episode, we dive into the making of the documentary *Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie*, featuring insights from Salman Rushdie, Eliza, and co-hosts Bart, John, and Justina. Together, they explore the personal and artistic challenges of depicting such a traumatic event. ## A Personal Journey Through Trauma The episode opens with Bart introducing the guests, highlighting the significance of the film in providing a deeper understanding of an event that many know about, yet few truly comprehend. Justina expresses gratitude for Salman and Eliza's willingness to share their deeply personal story, framing it as an inspiring tale of love amidst adversity. Eliza discusses her approach to filming, sharing how she utilized her professional camera to document the painful yet pivotal moments following the attack on Salman. "Every ugly tear snot coming out of my nose," she recalls, describing the emotional release she felt when her camera arrived, symbolizing a return to her identity as a storyteller. > "It was like a part of my name or a part of my body, like an organ had been given back to me... Here is something about my identity that I still have that is empowering." - Eliza ## The Impact of Collaboration Salman reflects on the unique experience of being the subject rather than the maker of the film. He mentions the importance of surrendering creative control to director Alex, believing that their proximity to the material made it essential to have another artist's perspective. "We were too close to the material to make the film ourselves," he states, emphasizing the necessity of collaboration in storytelling. They discuss the emotional weight of revisiting the scene of the attack, a decision that stemmed from Salman's desire for closure. Eliza shares her initial hesitation, but ultimately felt it was a journey they needed to undertake together. > "I wanted to go back from quite an early point in the recovery. I had this strong instinct that I wanted to revisit the scene of the crime." - Salman Rushdie ## Blurring the Lines of Past and Present As they recount their visit to Chautauqua, where the attack occurred, the discussion shifts to how Alex skillfully interwove past footage with their present experience, creating a powerful narrative. Eliza describes the emotional transformation she witnessed in Salman as he confronted the past, highlighting the significance of revisiting such a traumatic site. > "I could have been standing there by myself. So there were a lot of powerful forces in that moment." - Eliza The episode concludes with a powerful reflection on the necessity of sharing stories, particularly those steeped in trauma. The film not only serves as a testament to resilience but also sheds light on the complex emotions tied to revisiting painful memories. This episode is a compelling exploration of art, trauma, and the healing process, offering listeners a profound understanding of the emotional landscape navigated by Salman and Eliza as they brought their story to life. For the full experience, listen to the complete episode.

Welcome to another special edition of How to Fail, where I revisit conversations from the How to Fail archives. Each week, we shine a light on a particular theme, hopefully offering inspiration, perspective and comfort through the words of past guests. This week’s theme is on writing - appropriately, because my new book ‘One of Us’ is out this week (25th September)! So it felt only fair that I re-shared a couple of my favourite authors who have guested on How to Fail in the past. First up, you’ll hear from Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, whose episode originally aired in March 2021. He shares thoughtful reflections on creativity, memory and the way stories help us explore both truth and imagination. Then, we turn to Salman Rushdie, in an excerpt from our original conversation back in June 2024, where he discusses his extraordinary book ‘Knife’ and reflects on the role of stories in making sense of life’s most difficult moments. I hope these highlights remind you of the power of storytelling, not only as a means of escape but also as a way to process, connect and endure Listen to Salman Rushdie’s full episode of How to Fail here: https://link.chtbl.com/OE63hsrn Listen to Kazuo Ishiguro’s full episode of How to Fail here: https://link.chtbl.com/zu0kLq-0 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: ‘One of Us’ is out on 25th September: lnk.to/OneOfUsElizabethDay Salman Rushdie’s books: www.salmanrushdie.com Kazuo Ishiguro’s books: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/14137/kazuo-ishiguro/ Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/ Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content 💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE? Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more people discover these stories 👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth: Instagram: @howtofailpod @elizabday TikTok: @howtofailpod @elizabday Website: www.elizabethday.org Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On March 18, 2021 the Lannan Center presented a Crowdcast webinar featuring author Salman Rushdie, as part of "THIS LAND" the 2021 Lannan Center Symposium. Moderated by BBC's Razia Iqbal. About Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie is the author of fourteen novels, most recently Quichotte , The Golden House , and Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights . His book Midnight’s Children was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981 and the Best of the Booker in 2008. He is also the author of a book of stories, East, West , and four works of non-fiction – Joseph Anton – A Memoir , Imaginary Homelands , The Jaguar Smile , and Step Across This Line . A Fellow of the British Royal Society of Literature, Rushdie has received, among other honors, the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel (twice), the Writers’ Guild Award, the James Tait Black Prize, and a U.S. National Arts Award. He holds honorary doctorates and fellowships at six European and six American universities, is an Honorary Professor in the Humanities at M.I.T, and University Distinguished Professor at Emory University. Currently, Rushdie is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. About Razia Iqbal Razia Iqbal is a presenter for BBC News: she is one of the main hosts of Newshour , the flagship news and current affairs program on BBC World Service radio, which is broadcast around the world including on more than 400 NPR stations in the U.S. She also regularly presents The World Tonight on the BBC's national network, Radio 4. Iqbal was the BBC's arts correspondent for a decade, during which she travelled around the world covering arts and culture for radio and television news. She has been a journalist with the BBC for nearly three decades, has worked as a political reporter, and as a foreign correspondent in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. She covered the 2016 Presidential campaign in the U.S.; the Turkish and German elections and has travelled in India and Pakistan making programs for radio and television. Music: Quantum Jazz — " Orbiting A Distant Planet" — Provided by Jamendo.

Listen for details on how to win tickets to our Los Angeles live show! Salman Rushdie is a most singular figure. He’s authored 19 books, accrued countless awards, and spent about a decade in hiding after the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for his death. Needless to say, Chris Hayes jumped at the chance to have a conversation with Salman Rushdie about his life and the ways his particular experiences shape his worldview. In one hour, they manage to cover the political climate in India and the US, the opioid epidemic, belonging, reality television, immigration, his newest novel “Quichotte”, and more. Did we mention he’s a knight? RELATED READING: Quichotte by Salman Rushdie The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie Buy tickets to our October 21st Los Angeles live show here! Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alex Clark joined Salman Rushdie at the Bath Festival for a conversation celebrating his 70th birthday. The duo discussed Rushdie’s novels, what it means to be eight weeks older than India, migration and the mindset that migrants acquire to survive, his friendship with Bruce Chatwin, and living in New York in the 1970s. Salman Rushdie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His novel Midnight’s Children won the ‘Booker of Bookers’. His new novel, The Golden House, will be published by Vintage in September. 
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Welcome to this last and final episode of Amazon Wire. We’re not really saying goodbye – we’re just re-launching our podcast series in a format that allows us to bring you the same great content in a more specialized way! For book lovers we bring you a brand new podcast from our Books blog, Omnivoracious.com. Music lovers will find scintillating artist interviews on our music blog, Chordstrike.com and movie and television fans will find new podcasts at Armchair Commentary.com. To sign up via RSS, visit our blogs at Omnivoracious.com, Chordstrike.com or Armchaircommentary.com… You can also find us on the iTunes store. Now on to today’s show… Salman Rushdie is an Indian-British writer who achieved literary fame with his book Midnight’s Children, and world-wide fame for his bookThe Satanic Verses, which spawned violent protests in several Muslim countries and ultimately brought him serious death threats. As a result, Rushdie spent nearly a decade in hiding, rarely appearing in public. Over the past few years Rushdie has reclaimed his life, and has emerged to receive many top honors for his literary work. He was appointed a Knights Bachelor for his “services to literature”, he began a Distinguished Writer residency at Emery University, and he received the Best of the Booker award, which named Midnight’s Children the best novel to ever win the Booker Prize. Salman Rushdie recently spoke with Amazon’s Daphne Durham and Lauren Nemroff about his latest book, Enchantress of Florence.