Salman Rushdie is reported to be in high spirits after being removed from ventilator.

WASHINGTON, Broadcasting News Corporation : Author Salman Rushdie was off a ventilator and in good spirits Saturday, a day after being stabbed as he went to give a lecture in upstate Chautauqua, his agent confirmed.
Rushdie, 75, remained in serious condition but was said to be “talking (and joking)”, fellow author Aatish Taseer tweeted. Rushdie’s agent Andrew Wylie confirmed the update, a day after saying author was likely to lose an eye. The author also suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in his arm, the agent said. Hadi Matar, 24, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the shocking public attack at a nonprofit education and retreat center. Prosecutors said Matar had preplanned the assault, getting an advance pass to Rushdie’s lecture with a fake ID. Author Salman Rushdie was off a ventilator and in good spirits Saturday, a day after being stabbed as he went to give a lecture in upstate Chautauqua, his agent confirmed. Rushdie, 75, remained in serious condition but was said to be “talking (and joking)”, fellow author Aatish Taseer tweeted. Rushdie’s agent Andrew Wylie confirmed the update, a day after saying author was likely to lose an eye. The author also suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in his arm, the agent said. Hadi Matar, 24, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the shocking public attack at a nonprofit education and retreat center. Prosecutors said Matar had preplanned the assault, getting an advance pass to Rushdie’s lecture with a fake ID. “A fatwa like that is a serious matter, fortunately the Internet didn’t exist back then. The Iranians had to fax the fatwa to the mosques. That was a long time ago, you know, but now my life is relatively normal again,” he said. “I think many people today live with similar threats as I did then. And the fax machine that was used against me is like a bicycle against a Ferrari compared to the internet.”
With Post wires. News collected from NEW YORK POST.