Despicable. Intolerable. In shock, the literary world and the political class as a whole strongly condemned the attack on British writer Salman Rushdie, giving him their full support. He was stabbed in the neck on Friday by a man during a conference in New York State. At the head of the procession, we find the expression of shock of the author of countless bestsellers Stephen King. “What kind of asshole stabs a writer anyway?” F****! “, was indignant on Twitter the master of the thrill, who also expressed the wish that Rushdie “will be well”.
Jack Lang, who had decided when he was Minister of Culture to publish in French “The Satanic Verses” of the British writer, said he was “upset, horrified”. “With all my heart, I wish he could survive this horrific attack. At the same time, it is not surprising because he was a free, strong, powerful man who constantly took risks, ”he said at the microphone of BFMTV.
French novelists have also expressed their sadness. On Twitter, Bernard-Henri Levy, author of 17 novels since 2004 expressed his pain while extolling his praises: “I pray for Rushdie. But, unfortunately for the s****d who stabbed him, my friend doesn’t have the soul of a martyr. No. He wishes to be Balzac and Dickens. And, in fact, he definitely is that. As such, he is immortal. »
The journalist and writer Bernard Pivot told him of his disgust for the situation: “On February 16, 1996, I received Salman Rushdie on my show, the police being present even on the roofs of the television building. Over time his protection must have relaxed. But Islam’s hatred of the writer never waned. »
“His unwavering courage in the face of fanatics”
“Total solidarity”, also launches on Twitter the essayist Raphael Glucksmann, who deplores a “abject attack”. And to detail: “Tribute to his immense talent, his freedom of spirit and his unshakeable courage in the face of the Islamist fanatics who have pursued him with their hatred for decades”.
Strong words from the literary world accompanied by ministers including that of National Education in office, Pap Ndiaye, having “a thought for Salman Rushdie, symbol of freedom and erudition, that no Islamist obscurantism will stop”. Many are those who note the symbolic significance of the attack, well beyond the person of Rushdie: “It is democracy, freedom, it is each of us who has been stabbed”, considers in particular his predecessor in Education Jean-Michel Blanquer. And to insist: “In thought with him so that he may live and with all those who refuse cowardice in the face of the threats of our time. The current Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, denounces this “barbaric act”. “33 years of threats. 33 years of courage to defend the right to irreverence and satire, weapons of freedom against tyranny. Freedom of thought, conscience and expression must remain a daily struggle,” she insists.
Across the Channel, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” that Sir Salman Rushdie was stabbed “while exercising a right that we should never stop defending”, in reference to freedom of expression. Fellow novelist JK Rowling, mother of the world-famous “Harry Potter” saga, also reacted to the attack, citing “terrible news”, as can be read on her Twitter account. The author also expressed her sadness: “I feel terribly sick. Provided that he goes well “she posted on the social network.
An emotion as far as India where the Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy, known for her novel The God of Small Nothings, which won her the Booker Prize in 1997, also reacted. “I am shocked and saddened beyond reason. Nothing can justify this attack”.