Salman Rushdie will publish his first work of fiction since the 2022 stabbing that left him hospitalized, with Random House announcing the release of The Eleventh Hour on November 4. The book, a collection of novellas and short stories, marks Rushdie’s return to fiction after a period of recovery and reflection following the attack.
The Eleventh Hour comprises five interconnected stories that delve into the universal themes surrounding the final moments of life. Set in locations where Rushdie has lived—India, England, and the United States—the collection features unforgettable characters, including a musical prodigy with magical abilities, a ghost of a Cambridge scholar who helps a student seek vengeance, and a literary mentor who mysteriously dies.
In a statement provided through Random House, Rushdie explained that the stories explore personal themes that have preoccupied him in recent years, such as mortality, anger, peace, and farewells. He also acknowledged the influence of renowned figures such as Goya, Kafka, and Bosch on the book’s content. “I have come to think of the quintet as a single work, and I hope readers may see and enjoy it in the same way,” he said, emphasizing the cohesion of the collection despite the variety in setting, technique, and narrative.
This new work follows the success of Rushdie’s other acclaimed novels, including Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize, as well as Shame, The Moor’s Last Sigh, and Victory City, the latter of which he completed just before the 2022 attack. The attack occurred during a public lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, an event that left Rushdie with lasting injuries, including the loss of sight in one eye.
Rushdie has since testified in the trial of his assailant, Hadi Matar, who was convicted of assault and attempted murder. Matar faces a potential 25-year sentence, with the judge scheduled to deliver sentencing on April 23.
In addition to The Eleventh Hour, Rushdie’s memoir Knife, which recounts the details of the attack and his subsequent recovery, was released in 2023. It was nominated for a National Book Award. Despite the success of the memoir, Rushdie has expressed that returning to fiction signifies a crucial step in his healing process. He has often discussed his past struggles, including the fatwa issued against him in 1989 over his controversial novel The Satanic Verses, and the recent physical and emotional toll of the stabbing.
While promoting Knife earlier in 2024, Rushdie reflected on the difficulty of writing the memoir, admitting that the assault had made it impossible to focus on fiction. “I didn’t want to write this book,” he said. “I actually wanted to get back to fiction, and I tried and it just seemed stupid. I just thought, ‘Look, something very big happened to you.’”
