Salman Rushdie has begun a long “road to recovery,” his agent said , two days after the renowned novelist was stabbed in the neck and abdomen at an event in western New York.

“The injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction,” Rushdie’s agent Andrew Wylie said in a statement to The Washington Post, noting that the process would be a lengthy one.

Rushdie, 75, was attacked on stage Friday, moments before he was to be interviewed as part of a lecture series. The suspected attacker was apprehended at the scene and pleaded not guilty on Saturday to attempted murder charges.