LONDON: A Hebrew version of “Intermezzo” by Irish novelist Sally Rooney is being released through Israeli publishers who support Palestinian rights, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Rooney had originally blocked a Hebrew version of the 2024 book on grounds that she supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
However, the 35-year-old is now working with independent Israeli publisher November Books, alongside media outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call.
Rooney also blocked the Hebrew translation of her third novel “Beautiful World, Where Are You” in 2021 after learning that Modan, the Israeli publisher she had worked with on her previous novels “Conversations With Friends” and “Normal People,” had ties to the country’s military.
In a discussion with Irish-Palestinian artist and activist Samir Eskanda published on Tuesday, Rooney said of her previous involvement with Modan: “How could my actions be so inconsistent with my beliefs?”
She added: “I had also become something of a public figure, and I felt a greater sense of responsibility in making decisions around my work.”
Rooney said she had been told that she had “effectively ended” her career over her stance on Palestine, and admitted that she feared she would likely never be able to publish books in the UK again over her support for the banned group Palestine Action.
But she insisted she is not targeting the Israeli people or singling out their language or culture.
The writer told Eskanda: “For me, the act of translation is in itself a beautiful ideal. Though my refusal to work with complicit Israeli publishing houses made the contractual side of things more complex, I was, of course, never boycotting the Hebrew language or any language.”
She added: “When I do feel that I’m right, I’m not much bothered by criticism. Who has ever stood up against injustice without being criticised? If that’s all I have to endure, then it’s very little.”
Eskanda said the BDS movement targets “institutions rather than individuals, and complicity, not identity.”
He added: “Our task as a movement is to channel anger at Israel’s genocide in Gaza into the most meaningful initiatives.”
The BDS movement was inspired by similar boycotts of South Africa during its apartheid era, and since the start of the war in Gaza, thousands of creatives worldwide have refused to work with Israeli organizations deemed complicit in illegal activities by the Israeli state.
November Books is the only Israeli publisher that meets the criteria established by the BDS movement to earn an exemption for authors working with it.
It recognizes Palestinians’ legal rights, receives no financial support from the Israeli government, and does not operate in illegal settlements.
Ishai Menuchin, director of November Books, said: “Publishing books by authors associated with the boycott movement demonstrates to Israeli readers that opposition to occupation, apartheid and genocide is what lies at the heart of the boycott — a clearly legitimate form of political protest.”
Modan did not respond to a request by The Guardian for comment.
