The renowned British-Indian author gave evidence at the trial of his alleged attacker, 27-year-old Hadi Matar, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and attempted murder.
Proceedings are taking place at a New York state court a few miles from where Sir Salman was attacked on 12 August 2022 as he was about to give a talk on how the US was a haven for exiled writers.
The attack occurred after Salman spent years in hiding because of threats to his life after his novel The Satanic Verses was published in 1988.
Prosecutors, who have not specified a motive for the stabbing, called Salman to the stand as the first witness on Tuesday morning, asking him to recall the moments before and after the attack.
Salman Rushdie has told a court that he thought he was dying after being stabbed repeatedly on stage two years ago, leaving him blind in one eye.
He described the attacker as wearing dark clothes and a face mask, and said he was struck by the individual’s eyes, “which were dark and seemed very ferocious”.
Salman said he felt the first blow to his right jaw and neck, and thought at first that he had been punched. Then he saw blood pouring on to his clothes.
“At that point he was hitting me repeatedly, stabbing and slashing,” the author said, adding that the incident unfolded in a matter of seconds.
Salman told the court he was struck a total of 15 times, with wounds to his eye, cheek, neck, chest, torso and thigh.
The writer told the court on Tuesday that in the moments afterwards, “it occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying – that was my predominant thought”.
He recalled how bystanders, including members of the audience, subdued the attacker.
The author told the jury he was airlifted to a trauma centre, where he received treatment for his injuries for 17 days.
The suspect’s lawyer, Lynn Schaffer, cross-examined Salman and asked him about whether he could trust his recollection of events given the trauma he endured.
The author responded that trauma can alter people’s memory, but added he was certain that he had been wounded 15 times.
More witnesses are expected to be called to the stand in the coming days, including the surgeon that operated on Sir Salman, as well as law enforcement officers who responded to the attack.
