Rushdie to publish first fiction since 2022 stabbing

Salman Rushdie releases "The Eleventh Hour" on November 4, 2025, marking his first fiction since surviving a brutal stabbing attack in August 2022 that left him blind in one eye and caused severe nerve damagebookandfilmglobe+1.
The collection features five interconnected stories exploring mortality and life's final moments, spanning India, England, and America—the three countries where the 77-year-old author has lived and workedbbc+1.
The attack occurred while Rushdie was delivering a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, where he was stabbed more than a dozen times by Hadi Matar, who was convicted of attempted murder and assault in February 2025bbc.
The stories include diverse characters such as two quarrelsome elderly men in Chennai, a musical prodigy from the Mumbai neighborhood featured in "Midnight's Children," and a Cambridge don's ghost seeking revengebbc+1.
The publication follows Rushdie's 2024 memoir "Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder," which detailed his recovery from the attack that also caused liver injuries and hand paralysisbbc.

Salman Rushdie makes his momentous return to fiction on November 4 with "The Eleventh Hour," marking his first collection of stories since surviving a brutal 2022 stabbing attack that nearly claimed his life. The 78-year-old author explores mortality and what crystallizes in life's final moments through five interconnected tales spanning India, England, and America—the three countries where he has lived and worked.bookandfilmglobe+2

A Literary Comeback Three Years in the Making

The publication represents a milestone for Rushdie, who was stabbed more than a dozen times while delivering a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York on August 12, 2022. The attack left him blind in one eye and caused lasting nerve damage. His assailant, 27-year-old Hadi Matar, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in May 2025 after being convicted of attempted murder and assault.bbc+2

According to Random House, the collection includes "unforgettable characters" such as a "musical prodigy with a magical gift," the ghost of a Cambridge don seeking posthumous revenge, and a literary mentor whose death remains mysteriously ambiguous. Rushdie described the three main novellas as written "in the last 12 months," exploring themes of "mortality, Bombay, farewells, England (especially Cambridge), anger, peace, America."cbsnews

Critical Acclaim and Cultural Impact

Early reviews have praised the collection's blend of wisdom and playfulness. The Financial Times described it as featuring "mischievous, wise tales with the sense of an ending." Kirkus Reviews awarded the book a starred review, calling it "a brilliant series of intimations of mortality" that celebrates "life, language, and love in the face of death."ft+1

Rushdie will discuss the collection with Martha Teichner on CBS News Sunday Morning this Sunday, November 2, in a segment examining both the new work and his life following the 2022 attack. The interview marks another step in his public re-emergence following the publication of his 2024 memoir "Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder," which detailed his recovery from the stabbing.paramountpressexpress+1

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