Writers and literary leaders are reacting to the attack against Salman Rushdie. The 75-year-old author was stabbed numerous times in the face, neck, and abdomen during a speaking engagement in Chautauqua, New York. The alleged attacker is a 24-year-old man who denies his involvement. Rushdie is in critical condition and is expected to lose an eye, but his son says his feisty and defiant sense of humor remains intact.
In the 80s, Rushdie was forced into hiding for nearly a decade after his novel, "The Satanic Verses," was published. Then-Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a religious edict with a $3 million bounty calling for Rushdie's assassination.
The events surrounding the author raise questions about free speech and the dangers writers face in charged and polarized environments. We explore those issues with our guests:
- Gregory Gerard, author
- Summer Lopez, senior director for free expression programs at PEN America
- Chad Post, publisher for Open Letter Books
- Roberta M. Schwartz, director of City of Asylum/Rochester
