Rushdie family relieved he is off ventilator: Son

The family of Salman Rushdie is "extremely relieved" he has been taken off a ventilator following his stabbing, and the British author has retained his "defiant sense of humour", his son said on Sunday.

"We are extremely relieved that yesterday he was taken off the ventilator and additional oxygen and was able to say a few words," his son Zafar tweeted.

Rushdie's agent Andrew Wylie said earlier on Sunday that Rushdie was on the "road to recovery", two days after he was stabbed multiple times in a shocking assault at a literary event in New York state.

Zafar said that despite the promising news, his father's injuries were "life-changing" and "severe", and that he remained in a critical condition.

But "his usual feisty and defiant sense of humour remains intact," he added.

Zafar offered thanks to audience members who "bravely leapt to his defence" and for the "outpouring of love and support from around the world".

The agent said earlier that Rushdie might lose an eye; he also suffered injuries to the abdomen.

He was arraigned in court on Saturday and pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges.