Writer Salman Rushdie (75) lost his eyesight as a result of the August 12 attack. This was revealed by the author's agent, Andrew Wylie, to the Spanish newspaper "El País" on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The British-Indian writer was also unable to move one hand because the nerves were severed during the knife attack.

When asked by the paper how Rushdie was doing almost two and a half months after the attack, Wylie explained: "The wounds are deep (...) He suffered three serious wounds on his neck and another 15 on his back and upper body. It was a brutal attack ."

The agent would not say where Rushdie is currently and whether he is still being treated in the hospital. "I can't give any information about his whereabouts. But I can say that he will survive. And that's the most important thing."

The Booker Prize winner was stabbed at an event in Chautauqua, New York, on August 12. He had to undergo an emergency operation and at times be artificially ventilated. The 24-year-old attacker was arrested.

Rushdie has been persecuted by religious fanatics for decades.

Rushdie's new novel Victory City is scheduled to be published in German in April 2023. "The novel is set in southern India in the 14th century and tells the story of a young girl who is chosen by a goddess," says Penguin-Verlag.

Interview "El País" (Friday edition) Bertelsmann on the new book