Sally Rooney has turned down an offer from the Israeli publisher that translated her two previous novels into Hebrew, due to her stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The Irish author’s second novel Normal People was translated into 46 languages, and it was expected that Beautiful World, Where Are You would reach a similar number. However, Hebrew translation rights have not yet been sold, despite the publisher Modan putting in a bid.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Rooney explained her decision, writing that while she was “very proud” to have had her previous novels translated into Hebrew, she has for now “chosen not to sell these translation rights to an Israeli-based publishing house”.
It’s one thing to boycott an Israeli publishing house – freedom of association and all that. However, to refuse translation into Hebrew isn’t just affecting Israelis. Therefore, I think this is another example of anti semitism posing as anti Israel. The two usually seem to go hand in hand anyway. Also, bear in mind that to take the Palestinian side in this conflict is to side with Hamas, an organisation that thinks it okay to send rockets into civilian areas. I’m not saying that one side is all good and the another all bad, which is why I tend to avoid getting involved in this one, but given the choice between the only functioning democracy in the Middle East and a terror organisation that is happy to use civilians as a human shield and wants to wipe Israel off the map, I know where I would side.
There was a point when it looked as if there was to be real progress, but the Palestinian electorate booted out the government that was talking to the Israelis in favour of a terror organisation that prefers rockets. My sympathies evaporated at that point.
“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. In the meantime I would like to express once again my solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality”, she said.
Hmmm. How will that work, then? As I say, freedom of association does apply, but I fail to see how it will be possible to sell translation rights without falling foul of the guidelines. Okay, I’m not a Booker prizewinner and I’m not famous, so no one is going to be scrabbling over my translation rights any time soon, but should I find myself in that position, I would take a politically neutral stance and sell the translation rights to anyone who asked. I would not use my work to make a political statement. Ever.
So, yes, on balance, I put this little stunt down to anti semitism.
Is it just me? Where I went to high school in Scotland there was a large Jewish population and they were taught Hebrew. I honestly never gave it a thought, my best friend there was Jewish and I thought no more of that than of my other best friend who was Catholic. I really can’t understand anti semiitism.
Carol42, I understand it in the context of knowing that Christians(a) and islam(b) have been pushing hatred of the Jews for centuries.
(a) Two thousand years
(b) 1400 years