“Candid, plain-spoken and gripping. Knife reminds us of the things worth fighting for.”— The New York Times

Few writers have shaped contemporary literature like Sir Salman Rushdie. The author of modern classics like The Satanic Verses and Midnight’s Children, which received the prestigious Booker Prize and was then named the Best of the Booker, he has won countless awards and never stopped fighting for the right to free expression.

In his latest memoir, he offers the searing, deeply personal story of the attack that almost took his life 30 years after the fatwa that called for his death. Knife is a riveting, masterful, defiantly witty account of his journey to recovery that was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The New Yorker, TIME Magazine, Kirkus, and more. The Guardian calls it a “testament to his resilience and dark humour,” while The Wall Street Journal hails it as “a brave and beautiful book that tells his story with a cathartic relish.”

In spellbinding keynotes, Sir Rushdie weaves together the worlds of politics, literature, and modern life, reminding audiences why he remains one of the most important voices of our time. He draws on his experience and his book—as well as his storied career—to explore the resilience of the human spirit, the sustaining power of love, and the importance of free expression in a moment like ours.

Below, watch his speech at the PEN America Gala: “The cause of free expression has never been more significant.”