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Sir Salman Rushdie: Writing fiction in a time of lies

Nov 10, 2025

Guest

Salman Rushdie

In this engaging conversation, Sir Salman Rushdie, an acclaimed novelist and a passionate advocate for free expression, discusses his latest work, The Eleventh Hour, after surviving a harrowing attack. He explores the role of fiction in uncovering truths against a backdrop of lies and censorship. Rushdie shares insights on the impact of book bans, the challenges he faced in reclaiming his narrative, and the themes of mortality and farewell in his new novellas. He also reflects on the power of literature to counter disinformation and the challenges posed by AI.

22:59

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INSIGHT

Fiction Versus Lies

Rushdie argues fiction and lies are superficially similar but fundamentally opposed in purpose.
Literature aims to reveal truths about human nature while lies obscure them.

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ANECDOTE

Returning To Fiction After The Attack

Salman Rushdie describes returning to fiction after writing the memoir Knife to process the 2022 attack.
He wrote the novellas almost immediately after finishing the memoir to regain his fictional voice.

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ANECDOTE

Farewell To A Literary Locale

He revisits his Indian childhood neighbourhood as a setting and treats the story as a farewell to that place.
The musical prodigy tale is less about mortality for characters and more about the author's ending of an era.

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Rushdie on fiction versus lies

03:04 • 56sec

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Recovering creativity after the attack

03:59 • 59sec

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Why he revisits the past in new novellas

04:58 • 2min

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Character choices and playful callbacks

06:35 • 1min

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Revenge and unconscious themes

07:56 • 34sec

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Taking ownership through Knife

08:30 • 33sec

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Practical challenges after the attack

09:04 • 2min

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Public life and security now

10:36 • 4min

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Language as character and the breakdown of dialogue

14:07 • 3min

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Concerns about book bans in the US

16:43 • 3min

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How writers respond to crisis

19:37 • 2min

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Defending free speech amid disinformation

21:07 • 2min

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AI and the future of literary originality

22:49 • 1min

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Plans for future books and formats

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In 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder', Salman Rushdie provides a gripping and detailed account of the traumatic events following the knife attack on him in August 2022. The book is a meditation on his survival, the metaphysical implications of his experience, and the purpose of writing. Rushdie describes the horrific wounds he suffered, including the loss of his right eye, and reflects on the miraculous nature of his survival. The memoir is characterized by its lack of self-pity, despite the immense pain and struggle Rushdie faced during his recovery. It also touches on themes of art, pain, love, and the ongoing battle for free speech.

James Coomarasamy speaks to acclaimed author Sir Salman Rushdie as he publishes his first work of fiction since surviving a near-fatal attack in 2022, by a man armed with a knife, who is now serving 25 years in prison.

The Eleventh Hour, his new collection of novellas and short stories explores mortality, farewells and even the afterlife. They feature a rich cast of characters - a musical prodigy in post-Partition Mumbai, a ghost with a secret at a Cambridge college and a young writer caught in a Kafkaesque nightmare in modern-day America.

Sir Salman speaks candidly about the threats to free expression, the rise in book bans across the US, and the political climate shaped by figures like Donald Trump. He reflects on the pressures facing writers and readers in a time of disinformation and growing censorship.

We discuss fiction’s power to illuminate truth and why, after everything, he remains committed to the freedom to imagine.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: James Coomarasamy Producer: Nigel Doran and Farhana Haider Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Sir Salman Rushdie. Credit: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

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