News about Jeffrey Eugenides

She is the stunning poet who is 32 years old and is expected to be assisting nurse Sir Salman Rushdie in recovering from illness. Rachel Eliza Griffiths (left), 43, enjoyed a romantic 'writer's retreat' with Sir Salman (right) in a 15th-century Italian castle just weeks before a terrified knifeman attempted to stab the 75-year-old author of The Satanic Verses to death.

During a rally on Friday on the steps of the main branch of the New York Public Library, a week after being assaulted onstage in the western part of the state and hospitalized with stab wounds, friends and colleagues spoke out on Salman Rushdie's behalf. Rushdie's health has improved, and he has been deprived of a ventilator, according to his literary agent. Those who expressed genuine desire for a full recovery were Paul Auster, Jeffrey Eugenides, Tina Brown, and Kiran Desai. Rushdie was described as an inspiration and defender of free expression in stories, essays, and speeches, including from 'The Satanic Verses,' the 1988 book that was criticized by some Muslims as blasphemous.'