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Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British-American novelist whose Midnight's Children won the 1981 Booker Prize. His public significance also encompasses his work with PEN America and his association with freedom of expression.
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Profile
About Salman Rushdie
Profile information current to .
United Kingdom and United States · Novelist · 2 affiliations
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- Novelist
At a glance
- Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children won the 1981 Booker Prize.
- As president of PEN America, Rushdie helped launch the PEN World Voices Festival in 2005.
- He was knighted for services to literature in 2007 and appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2022.
- As of August 2026, his publisher listed him as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Background and education
Rushdie was born on 19 June 1947 in Bombay, India. He attended school in India and England before studying history at the University of Cambridge. Born in India and raised in Britain, he holds citizenship of both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Literary career and recognition
Rushdie is best known as a novelist, with Midnight's Children winning the Booker Prize in 1981. His public honours include a 2007 knighthood for services to literature and appointment to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2022. His later work includes The Eleventh Hour, published in hardcover in November 2025.
Freedom of expression and PEN America
After publication of The Satanic Verses, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for Rushdie to be killed. Rushdie later served as president of PEN America and, with Esther Allen and Michael Roberts, launched the PEN World Voices Festival in 2005. PEN America continued to list his case as active and his status as "Under Threat" as of August 2026, an organizational classification rather than an independent assessment of a specific current threat.
2022 attack and subsequent proceedings
Rushdie survived a knife attack while preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on 12 August 2022. Associated Press reported that attacker Hadi Matar received a 25-year state prison sentence in May 2025. The U.S. Department of Justice later reported that a federal jury convicted Matar on terrorism offenses related to the attempted murder and that federal sentencing was scheduled for November 2026.
Affiliations
- New York University Distinguished Writer in Residence present
- PEN America Former president
Timeline
- Born in Bombay, India.
- Midnight's Children won the Booker Prize.
- Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's killing after publication of The Satanic Verses.
- While serving as PEN America president, Rushdie launched the PEN World Voices Festival with Esther Allen and Michael Roberts.
- Knighted for services to literature.
- Survived a knife attack while preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.
- The Eleventh Hour was published in hardcover.
Additional verified details
Current context
- Rushdie is listed as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. The current-status claim is based on his publisher's author biography.
- PEN America's Writer at Risk page lists Rushdie's case as active and his status as "Under Threat." This is PEN America's organizational classification, not an independent assessment of a specific current threat.
- The U.S. Department of Justice reported that a federal jury convicted Hadi Matar on terrorism offenses related to the attempted murder of Rushdie. The department stated on 29 July 2026 that federal sentencing was scheduled for 3 November 2026. Separately, Associated Press reported that Matar received a 25-year state prison sentence on 16 May 2025 after a state-court conviction.
Biographical facts
- Rushdie was born on 19 June 1947 in Bombay, India.
- Rushdie was born in India, raised in Britain, and is a citizen of both the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Rushdie attended school in India and England before studying history at the University of Cambridge.
- After publication of The Satanic Verses, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for Rushdie to be killed.
- Rushdie was knighted for services to literature in 2007 and appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2022.
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