Imagine surviving a brutal assassination attempt, losing sight in one eye, and yet emerging without a trace of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). That’s exactly what Salman Rushdie claims has happened to him—and his therapist has a bold explanation: ‘You’re a badass.’ But here’s where it gets controversial: Can someone truly escape the psychological scars of such a traumatic event, or is Rushdie’s resilience a rare exception that defies conventional understanding? Let’s dive in.
In a recent interview with CBS News, Rushdie shared this startling revelation while discussing his latest work, The Eleventh Hour, a collection of fictional stories. The conversation also circled back to the 2022 attack at a literary event in western New York, where he was stabbed multiple times by Hadi Matar, leaving him with permanent damage to his right eye. Despite the severity of the assault, Rushdie’s demeanor remains strikingly free of bitterness or anger—a fact that even interviewer Martha Teichner found remarkable. ‘Most people would expect PTSD in such a scenario,’ she noted, yet Rushdie has not only moved forward but has also published a memoir, Knife, detailing the experience.
‘I asked my therapist to list the symptoms of PTSD,’ Rushdie recounted in his signature calm tone. ‘When I realized I didn’t have them, I asked, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ His therapist’s response? ‘You’re a badass—that’s the technical term.’’ It’s a lighthearted quip, but it raises a serious question: Does Rushdie’s extraordinary resilience stem from some innate toughness, or is there something deeper at play?
The attack on Rushdie wasn’t an isolated incident. It came more than 35 years after Iranian religious leaders issued a fatwa against him for his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, which they deemed offensive to Islam. Matar’s attempt to fulfill that fatwa resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for attempted murder, plus an additional seven years for injuring Ralph Henry Reese, the event moderator. Yet, Rushdie’s life, though altered, hasn’t been defined by this violence.
One notable change? Rushdie, who once refused to read books on tablets, now relies on iPads due to their adjustable lighting and font sizes—a practical adaptation to his vision loss. He also acknowledged the necessity of heightened security for public appearances, a stark contrast to his pre-attack life. And this is the part most people miss: Even as he navigates these changes, Rushdie remains deeply reflective about his adopted country, the United States. When asked if his feelings about becoming an American citizen in 2016 had shifted amid recent political turmoil, he admitted, ‘It’s a hard time in America.’ But he added a poignant observation: ‘If you think of countries as people, there is their better self and their less good self. It would be nice if this country were to remember its better self.’
Now, here’s the controversial question: Is Rushdie’s lack of PTSD a testament to his personal strength, or does it challenge our understanding of trauma and resilience? And what does his experience say about the human capacity to endure—and even thrive—in the face of unimaginable adversity? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a conversation!
