The author Salman Rushdie is to appear at this years Hay Festival, where he will be discussing the role of fiction in today’s world, alongside Erica Wagner, writer and former literary editor at The Times.

In 2022, while appearing in New York, Rushdie was stabbed on stage. He survived but lost an eye. His most recent work, titled Knife, tells the story of the event.

Salman Rushdie is famed for his books Midnight’s Children, Booker Prize winner 1981, The Satanic Verses (1988), Victory City (2023). He has been President of PEN America, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Commander of the French Order of Arts and Letters and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2023.

His event will be on Sunday, June 1 at 5:30pm on the Global Stage.

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said: “We are honoured to welcome Salman Rushdie back in person to our Town of Books this spring. In a very special event, we’ll explore his recent work and the power of storytelling to change the world. We know how much this appearance will mean to readers here; a chance to speak with one of our greatest living writers. Join us!”

Salman Rushdie said: “I’m delighted to be returning to Hay Festival after too long and greatly looking forward to talking with Erica Wagner. Let’s hope the weather gods are kind.”

Tickets are on sale now at hayfestival.org/hay-on-wye.