Irish writer refuses Hebrew translation
JERUSALEM • Sally Rooney, the acclaimed Irish author, has reportedly refused to allow her new novel to be published in Hebrew owing to her views on the Israeli-palestinian conflict.
The disclosure was made in a recent newspaper interview that said Rooney had turned down a translation bid from Modan, an Israeli publisher, as she supports a boycott of Israel.
Rooney’s novel, titled Beautiful World, Where Are You, was released in September and quickly topped books charts in the U.K. and Ireland.
“When Modan approached Rooney’s agent in an attempt to sign another translation deal, the agent announced that Rooney supports the cultural boycott movement on Israel and therefore does not approve translation into Hebrew,” the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The interview with Rooney was published by The New York Times in September, but was then translated into Hebrew and published by Haaretz with additional details.
Haaretz added that Rooney’s agent, Tracy Bohan, confirmed that the author had declined the translation when approached for comment.
A spokesman for Modan confirmed that it would not be publishing Rooney’s third novel but declined to say whether this was owing to a boycott, and instead referred The Daily Telegraph to Rooney’s agent.
The agent did not respond to a request for comment.
Rooney’s two previous novels, Conversations With Friends and Normal People, have both been published in Hebrew by Modan.
Rooney, 30, has previously been outspoken about her opposition to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, which the Palestinians claim as their own land.
She recently signed an open letter that called for “an end to the support provided by global powers to Israel and its military; especially the United States,” and also urged governments to “cut trade, economic and cultural relations.”
In a report Monday night, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency also noted that in her second novel, Normal People, the main characters attend a protest against Israel’s role in the 2014 Gaza war.
In Britain, Rooney has received four book awards, including Young Writer of the Year by The Sunday Times in 2017 and the Costa Book award in 2018.