Salman Rushdie has suffered life-changing injuries after being attacked two months ago for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
The author, 75, was stabbed before he was due to give a lecture at Chautauqua Institution in New York on 12 August, having been threatened for years over the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses.
Now, his agent, Andrew Wylie, has revealed that Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and the use of a hand after the brutal attack, the Guardian reports.
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"[His wounds] were profound, but he's [also] lost the sight of one eye," Wylie revealed. "He had three serious wounds in his neck. One hand is incapacitated because the nerves in his arm were cut. And he has about 15 more wounds in his chest and torso. So, it was a brutal attack."
While Wylie has not clarified whether or not the author is still being treated for his injuries in hospital, he stressed that his client is going to survive.
The agent also admitted that Rushdie was more than aware of the threat to his life because of the controversial novel, which was deemed as allegedly blasphemous by some.
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"The principal danger that he faced so many years after the fatwa [ruling on Islamic law] was imposed is from a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking [him]," he said.
"So, you can't protect against that because it's totally unexpected and illogical. It was like John Lennon['s murder]."
The agent also addressed the fact that another one of his authors, Art Spiegelman, 74, was also in hot water because of the content of his novels, namely for the novel Maus, which some schools in the US have chosen to ban.
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Wylie said: "You know, that's the religious right behaving as they behave. It's ridiculous. It's ludicrous. It's shameful. But it's a big force in the country now."
The man responsible for Rushdie's injuries, Hadi Matar, 24, pled not guilty to the offences associated with the stabbing - second-degree attempted murder and assault.
However, he was ultimately charged with second-degree attempted murder and one count of second-degree assault.
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The incident came just weeks after the author appeared to be more relaxed about the threats which had previously been made on his life.
He said that he felt 'very normal again' and was more concerned about the fall of democracy than religious fanaticism.
When asked what he was afraid of, he said: "In the past I would have said religious fanaticism. I no longer say that.
"The biggest danger facing us right now is that we lose our democracy. Since the supreme court abortion verdict I have been seriously concerned that the US won't manage that.
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"That the problems are irreparable and the country will break apart."
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Topics: News
Emma Guinness