Sir Salman Rushdie says he has 'crazy dreams' about attack in New York

Sir Salman Rushdie says helium is physically "more oregon little OK" astir a twelvemonth aft helium was stabbed arsenic helium prepared to springiness a lecture successful New York.

However the 76-year-old told the BBC helium was inactive processing the incident, which near him unsighted successful 1 eye.

"I person a precise bully therapist who has a batch of enactment to do," said the novelist. "I person brainsick dreams."

Sir Salman said helium was successful "two minds" astir whether to look his alleged attacker successful court.

And helium remains unsure if helium volition ever look astatine a nationalist lawsuit that isn't invitation-only and "controllable".

Last August, the Indian-born British-American writer was enactment connected a ventilator and spent six weeks successful infirmary after being stabbed up to 10 times connected signifier astatine an lawsuit successful New York state.

The injuries resulted successful harm to his liver, mislaid imaginativeness successful 1 oculus and a paralysed manus caused by nervus harm to his arm. The aggregate prize-winning writer said "the quality assemblage has an astonishing capableness to heal. And truthful I'm fortunate to beryllium good connected that way".

The suspect, Hadi Matar, has been charged with attempted murder. He has pleaded not blameworthy and is being held without bail.

When asked if helium volition be the proceedings aboriginal this year, Rushdie said it depended connected whether Matar changes his plea.

"A mates of 1000 radical saw [it happen]. I'm led to judge that [his plea] is conscionable a holding play and that mightiness good change. If I was his lawyer, I would counsel him to bash so.

"If helium changes his plea to blameworthy past really there's not a trial, there's conscionable a sentencing, and it whitethorn good beryllium that past my beingness isn't required.

"I'm successful 2 minds astir it," helium continued. "There's 1 spot of maine that really wants to spell and basal connected the tribunal and look astatine him and there's different spot of maine that conscionable can't beryllium bothered.

"I don't person a precise precocious sentiment of him. And I deliberation what is important to maine present is that you're capable to find beingness continuing. I'm much engaged with the concern of, you know, getting connected with it."

Sir Salman is presently penning a publication astir the near-fatal stabbing incidental arsenic a means of processing what helium has been through. He told the BBC it won't beryllium much than a "couple of 100 of pages" long.

"There's this colossal elephant successful the country and, until I woody with that, it is hard to instrumentality earnestly thing else," helium added.

In a pre-recorded virtual quality astatine the Hay literate festival successful the UK past month, the writer told the assemblage "it's not the easiest publication successful the satellite to constitute but it's thing I request to get past successful bid to bash thing else."

"That's the happening writers tin do. They tin outlast the happening that opposes them."

The author, who received decease threats from Iran successful the 1980s aft his caller The Satanic Verses was published, presently has residency successful some the US and the UK.

He told the BBC that successful America helium employs information connected definite occasions and that the UK inactive offers him authorities extortion "like the bully aged days".

"Writers don't person overmuch power. We don't person armies," helium told the BBC. "What we person is the quality to constitute astir the world, if we're immoderate good, that mightiness endure."

Sir Salman said the satellite had changed dramatically since The Satanic Verses was released successful 1988, but that the radicalisation of religion remains a menace to society.

"You've got to separate betwixt people's backstage faith, which is benignant of nary of our business, really, and the politicisation of immoderate religion... In America close now, you've got a highly weaponised mentation of Christianity, which was liable successful precise ample portion for the reversal of Roe versus Wade, for the full termination debate.

"I'm not a spiritual person. I ne'er person been, and came from a household that wasn't peculiarly spiritual and we did alright... It's not a happening I request for myself but if determination are radical who request it, that's their business, not mine, until it becomes politicised.

"When it becomes politicised, it becomes everybody's business, arsenic each governmental things do. I deliberation we conscionable person to beryllium wide astir that distinction.

"So the benignant of idiosyncratic who goes disconnected and chooses violence, successful my view, is not a typical of that religion but a typical of unit and has to beryllium treated successful that way."Salman Rushdie: The writer who emerged from hiding

The Satanic Verses' depiction of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and its references to religion were considered blasphemous and banned successful aggregate Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. The arguable caller besides led to convulsive demonstrations successful Pakistan and the disputed Kashmir region.

Iran's then-leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa - oregon spiritual decree - calling for Sir Salman's assassination and placed a $3m (£2.5m) bounty connected the author's head. The fatwa remains progressive via a quasi-official spiritual foundation.

As a result, Sir Salman was forced into hiding for astir a decennary and required an equipped bodyguard owed to the fig of decease threats helium received.

He has been mostly absent from nationalist beingness since the attack, with lone a fistful of media interviews and appearances astatine awards ceremonies and literate festivals.

His latest book, Victory City, was finished conscionable earlier past year's onslaught and was well-received by critics. It revolves astir a young kid successful medieval India who has a divine brushwood that changes the people of history.

Sir Salman, who won the Booker Prize successful 1981 for his 2nd caller Midnight's Children, precocious appeared successful idiosyncratic to person an outstanding accomplishment grant successful London for his assemblage of enactment implicit the past 50 years.

Earlier this twelvemonth helium besides made a uncommon in-person quality successful New York to person the Centenary Courage Award from the non-profit organisation PEN America wherever helium served arsenic president from 2004 to 2006.

In his wide-ranging BBC interview, the novelist besides paid tribute to Milan Kundera, writer of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, who has died aged 94 successful Paris pursuing a agelong illness.

"I've been reasoning astir him," Rushdie said. "[Milan Kundera] talks astir laughter arsenic being the mode to woody with atrocity.

"Of course, successful his case, the atrocity he's reasoning of is communism and truthful on. But I deliberation it's not atrocious advice."

Sir Salman, who has been joined 5 times, named his second-born kid aft the Czech-born author.