For 10 years, the newly knighted Sir Salman Rushdie lived under threat of death from a fatwa, an experience he finds "tedious" to recount. But getting tapped on the shoulder with a sword by a frail grandmother? That's what really scares him. "It was a little terrifying really, because it's so easy to foul it up," he told Radar about receiving his knighthood from the Queen last week. "You're supposed to back away from her, and I almost turned. I probably would've been executed on the spot," he quipped. "The worst part about it is they don't give you any snacks."

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