Salman Rushdie’s entire life has been an act of defiance | Suzanne Nossel

Salman has been targeted for his words for decades, but he has never flinched nor faltered. The attack on him is a wake-up call

Just hours before he was brutally attacked on Friday morning in Chautauqua, New York, Salman had emailed me to help with securing safe refuge for Ukrainian writers who face grave perils that are silencing their voices at a time when they badly need to be heard. The email was nothing new; Salman and I have been in dialogue for nearly a decade about an endless array of efforts to aid persecuted writers and defend the freedom to write.

Salman has been targeted for his words for decades, but he has never flinched nor faltered. He has not lived life as a victim, nor given in to fear. He has been an unflagging, unflappable presence in the public arena, devoted to defending the written word, telling his stories and standing with others who are vulnerable and menaced. The attack on Salman Rushdie is not just the fulfilment of a fanatical Ayatollah's sick fantasy. It is a reminder that writing and speaking are acts of bravery and courage that deserve and demand to be defended.