Sally Rooney blocks Israeli publisher from Hebrew translation of Beautiful World, Where Are You
Best-selling author Sally Rooney has explained why she will not be selling the translation rights for her new novel to a publisher based in Israel.
Rooney said she understood "not everyone will agree with her" but made the decision to express her solidarity with the “Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality”.
'Beautiful World, Where Are You' was published in September and quickly became a bestseller in the UK and Ireland.
It centres on the romantic exploits of an award-winning Irish novelist called Alice Kelleher and explores themes common throughout Rooney’s writing including love, friendship and conflict surrounding social class.
Rooney’s first two novels – 2017’s Conversations With Friends and 2018’s Normal People – were both published in Hebrew by Modan.
The writer said in a statement she was “very proud” to have had her previous two novels translated, but for now she had “chosen not to sell these translation rights to an Israeli-based publishing house”.
The 30-year-old said in a statement she felt unable to work with Modan again, describing it as a company “that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people”.
The writer said in a statement she was “very proud” to have had her previous two novels translated, but for now she had “chosen not to sell these translation rights to an Israeli-based publishing house”.
Rooney also expressed support for the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel.
She said: “Of course, many states other than Israel are guilty of grievous human rights abuses. This was also true of South Africa during the campaign against apartheid there.
“In this particular case, I am responding to the call from Palestinian civil society, including all major Palestinian trade unions and writers’ unions.
“I understand that not everyone will agree with my decision, but I simply do not feel it would be right for me under the present circumstances to accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people.
“The Hebrew-language translation rights to my new novel are still available, and if I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so.”
Reaction to Rooney's decision has been polarised.
Israel claims BDS opposes the country's existence and vehemently rejects any comparison with apartheid, calling Human Rights Watch which made the claim "preposterous and false".
The country's Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai tweeted: "The cultural boycott of Israel, anti-Semitism in a new guise, is a certificate of poor conduct for her and others who behave like her."
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (Pacbi), a founding member of the BDS National Committee, voiced support for the move.
Listen to Unscripted, the arts and entertainment podcast from ITV News
It said in a statement: “Rooney joins countless international authors in supporting the institutional cultural boycott of Israel’s complicit publishing sector, just as progressive artists once supported the boycott of apartheid South Africa.
“More than 1,300 artists have now signed Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s pledge to uphold the cultural boycott of apartheid Israel.”