Salman Rushdie stabbing in NY: magical realist forced to live on the run

Rushdie was attacked while giving a lecture in western New York. Photo: AP

British Indian author Salman Rushdie is a master of magical realism who captured global attention as the target of a fatwa that forced him into hiding, and which now drives his fierce defence of freedom of speech.

The 75-year-old, who was stabbed in an attack on Friday at a speaking event in New York state, was propelled into the spotlight with his second novel Midnight's Children in 1981.