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  • Knife

  • Meditations After an Attempted Murder
  • By: Salman Rushdie
  • Narrated by: Salman Rushdie
  • Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (77 ratings)

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Knife cover art

Knife

By: Salman Rushdie
Narrated by: Salman Rushdie
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring - and surviving - an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him

Speaking out for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, about the traumatic events of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie answers violence with art, and reminds us of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable. Knife is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art - and finding the strength to stand up again.

©2024 Salman Rushdie (P)2024 Penguin Audio

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What listeners say about Knife

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Honest, moving, painful

A lucid gaze not only into the effects - physical and emotional- of this horrific attack but also a reflection on the A, the attacker, and the culture that spawned him. It is a relief and a joy to know that Salman has not been diminished by it, in spite of the obvious physical wounds. Thank you for reading this yourself Salman. Be happy.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Elegant Writing!

My first Rushdie read, and it won't be the last. Breathtaking story of pathos and triumph that only few people can write so vividly. I recommend it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Honesty. Brilliance.

Loved it all. Relieved Rushdie came out so well from what have could been absolute tragedy. Riveting.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Authentic and uplifting

Rushdie is a masterful writer of fiction and fact. He is a genuine storyteller of our time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Salman Rushdie Keeps singing in the face of hatred.

“but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.'' Charles Dickens.
Ignorance and want are indeed dangerous as we see in this act of violence.
Unfortunately the writing can be seen on the brow of this young man, which led him to his actions. Thankfully Salman Rushdie is alive, I cannot imagine what he has suffered.

The book is insightful to the events and years surrounding his near death experience. I found the chapter on A unnecessary for the book but I’m sure it was cathartic for Salman Rushdie and so in that sense necessary. I wish him a bright future.


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    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptionally clear and vivid writing

An unforgettable piece of writing, very accessible, from an author normally a little more difficult to read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderfully raw and elegant book - superb

Incredible book. Unsurprisingly well written and a very emotional first hand account of Mr Rushdie’s traumatic experience and brave recovery.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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An unusual Rushdie - the better for it.

Beautifully narrated, near conversational account of a personal tragedy of mythical proportions ultimately transformed into a heroic tale of love.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Honesty

The relaying of a brutal, shocking attack by a misinformed and pathetic individual. The triumph of love, fortitude and clarity of purpose beautifully written, as always, by a Master of Literature. The narration is perfectly suited. A must read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

well written and moving

I liked the language he has used. it is also funny. I think he is funny in general. I also like the way he looks at the extremist attacker. it is not with putty or any justification but also at the end through the conversation with him somehow explaining it to himself and to us. why do people might do such thing...

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