Bestselling author Sally Rooney says she won't work with an Israeli publisher because of the nation's conflict with Palestine
- Sally Rooney says she turned down a Hebrew translation bid for her new book, "Beautiful World, Where Are You," from the Israeli publisher Modan.
- Rooney said she wouldn't translate her book because of Israel's ongoing conflict with Palestine.
Bestselling author Sally Rooney says she won't work with an Israeli publisher to translate her new book, "Beautiful World, Where Are You," into Hebrew because of the nation's ongoing conflict with Palestine.
Rooney, the author of "Normal People" and "Conversations with Friends," said in a statement to The Telegraph that she had turned town a Hebrew translation bid from the Israeli publisher Modan, and the Hebrew translation rights have yet to be sold.
She said she was "very proud" to have her last two novels translated into Hebrew, but has opted not sell the translation rights to any Israeli publishing house for "Beautiful World, Where Are You."
Her statement said she wanted to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), a "Palestinian-led, anti-racist and nonviolent grassroots campaign calling for an economic and cultural boycott of complicit Israeli companies and institutions in response to the apartheid system and other grave human rights violations."
"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," she said.
Rooney said the Hebrew translation rights for her book are still available, and she said that if she can find a way to sell those rights in a way that's compliant with BDS, she would be "very pleased and proud to do so."
"I would like to express once again my solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality," she said.