PEN AMERICA RESPONDS
Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, issued the following statement in response to the attack on author Salman Rushdie:
“PEN America is reeling from shock and horror at word of a brutal, premeditated attack on our former President and stalwart ally, Salman Rushdie, who was reportedly stabbed multiple times while on stage speaking at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York.”
Ayad Akhtar, President of PEN America, issued the following statement in response to the attack on author Salman Rushdie:
“It is hard to find words to express the emotions occasioned by today’s shocking attack on Salman Rushdie. As a former President of our organization, Salman means so much to us. His leadership in the wake of 9/11 set the course for the two decades which have followed. He has been and remains a tireless advocate for imperiled writers, for unfettered intellectual and creative exchange, and one of the last half-century’s great champions of freedom of expression.”
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Henry Reese, Board Chair of @cityofasylum and advisory committee member of PEN America's @AtRiskArtists was treated and released from the hospital after suffering a facial injury in today's attack. He writes:
"Salman Rushdie is one of the great authors of our time and one of...
NYT: Update on Salman Rushdies's condition via literary agent Andrew Wylie: “The news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged." Rushdie on a ventilator and unable to speak. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/12/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbed-new-york?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxfs4h2Hza3LNE2wFl7RSWtLH_VbXaKViYN10xD2fQdZHdaUyX_x-z-IaJFBkQQOlrt6ClYtAMiIvqsj7eFIK6K_3fOJy9y72PC7-LOpwzbautBWCNDW7HfyCjmsjcFk0qZsydkWq2XNc2qvAQuVq04EqiuMrDpl5RDlUNCCN7KT4Gl4pboX9GxLf4gU9WOtbXCiC3oLPruJdL3gBTA7OX3h94m0j6dJDONlxPa_3LRQofcGWkqxGQyUzb9_vX8ttMtCSw7Z6srfNqgiOwN61xJg0FaZVvrDCsQWqJcNgg_cdqj7jKHGDld7yJNc&smid=tw-share
As we @PENamerica reel from the horrific news of the attack against Salman Rushdie—brilliant writer, free expression defender, & past PEN President—I can think of no better way to honor him than with his own incisive & urgent & words from our 2022 Emergency Writers Congress:
Dare to Speak
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel’s book Dare to Speak, providing a pathway for navigating and defending free speech, is on sale!
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