Salman Rushdie will release a new collection of novellas and short stories this fall, marking his first fiction since being attacked and hospitalized in 2022. Random House announced that his new book, titled The Eleventh Hour, will be published on November 4.
The collection, described by the publisher as featuring “five interlinked stories and novellas,” delves into themes surrounding life’s final moments. The stories introduce various memorable characters, including a musical prodigy with a magical talent, the ghost of a Cambridge professor who aids a student in seeking revenge, and a literary mentor who mysteriously dies. The collection is set in three locations significant to Rushdie’s life: India, England, and the U.S.
In a statement, Rushdie shared that the novellas, written in the past year, reflect themes close to his heart, such as mortality, Bombay, farewells, England (particularly Cambridge), anger, peace, and even references to artists like Goya, Kafka, and Bosch. He expressed satisfaction that the stories, despite differing in setting, narrative, and style, come together to create a cohesive work. Rushdie hopes readers will experience the collection as a unified piece, with the prologue and epilogue connecting the stories within.
Salman Rushdie is best known for his fiction, particularly his Booker Prize-winning novel Midnight’s Children. His other notable works include Shame, The Moor’s Last Sigh, and Victory City, which he finished just before being attacked while on stage giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.
In February, 77-year-old Salman Rushdie returned to the Chautauqua area to testify in the trial of his attacker, Hadi Matar. Matar was found guilty of assault and attempted murder, charges that could result in a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. The judge has scheduled sentencing for April 23.
Rushdie’s memoir Knife, which recounts the attack, was published last year and became a finalist for the National Book Award. However, Rushdie has expressed that writing fiction represents further healing and a restoration of his creative abilities. This applies both to his experience after being forced into hiding in 1989 due to the fatwa calling for his death over The Satanic Verses and his recovery following the attack three years ago, which left him with one eye blind and caused lasting nerve damage.
While promoting Knife in 2024, Salman Rushdie shared that before writing the memoir, he had tried to return to fiction. However, he realized that the assault was too significant to overlook.
“I didn’t want to write this book,” he said about Knife. “I really wanted to get back to fiction, and I tried, but it just didn’t feel right. I thought, ‘Something very big happened to you.'”
