Salman Rushdie children: All about his sons as author suffers grave injuries after being stabbed 

On Friday, August 12, author Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck during a shocking attack while he was onstage for an event at New York’s Chautauqua Institution.

The writer was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital while the suspect was detained and later identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar. Shortly after the incident, New York State Police Major Eugene Staniszewski reported that Rushdie suffered stab wounds to the neck and abdomen:

“The suspect jumped onto the stage and attacked Rushdie, stabbing him at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen.”

Photos from the venue showed the author lying down on the floor after the attack, with first responders crouching over his body. Videos also showed Rushdie being carried towards a helicopter on a stretcher.

It was later reported that the novelist was "undergoing surgery" several hours after the incident. More recently, Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, told The New York Times that the author suffered grave injuries and was placed on a ventilator:

“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.”

Salman Rushdie was reportedly present at the Chautauqua Institution to speak on the theme of “More than Shelter” and to be a part of the discussion on the topic “the United States as an asylum for writers and other artists in exile and as a home for freedom of creative expression.”

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A look into Salman Rushdie’s marriages and children

Salman Rushdie is a proud father to two sons, Zafar and Milan (Image via Getty Images)

Salman Rushdie was married four times in his life and is a proud father to two children, Zafar and Milan. He first tied the knot with the Arts Council of England’s literature officer Clarissa Luard in 1976. The latter met the-then unpublished author at a concert in 1969.

The pair started living together while she was working as a publicity manager at the Paul Elek publishing house before marrying in 1976. The couple welcomed their son Zafar in 1979 but parted ways in 1987.

Zafar reportedly runs his own public relations firm and is married to London-based jazz artist Natalie Rushdie.

Rushdie also shares another child, son Milan, with his third wife, British editor and author, Elizabeth West. Not much is known about Milan. He keeps a low profile and has little social media presence.

Rushdie collaborated with West when she co-edited his 1997 book Mirrorwork: 50 Years of Indian Writing 1947-1997. They also tied the knot that same year and welcomed their son in 1999. The pair eventually split and divorced in 2004. Prior to West, Rushdie was married to American novelist Marianne Wiggins.

The pair began living in London after their 1988 wedding, while Rushdie faced Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa for his book The Satanic Verses. Wiggins also went into hiding with Rushdie but the pair called it quits in 1993.

Following his 2004 divorce from Elizabeth West, Rushdie married Indian model, actress, cook-book author and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi. The couple did not have any children and went on to part ways in 2007.

Although Rushdie’s four marriages ended in eventual separation, the author remained close to his sons. He also dedicated his autobiography, Joseph Anton, to Zafar and Milan Rushdie and their mothers, Clarissa and Elizabeth.