At long last, the beloved Irish writer Sally Rooney will publish a Hebrew translation of her latest novel, Intermezzo.
Rooney, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, hasn’t published a book in Israel since 2021. But thanks to a new alliance with the BDS-compliant publisher, November Books, there’s a new translation in the works.
November Books is an indie outfit. To publish the book, they’ll be working in cahoots with +972 magazine and Local Call, two other independent Israeli publications. Per a joint press release, all three companies “support the comprehensive, UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people” and oppose “military occupation and apartheid.”
This makes them unique among dozens of other Israeli publishers that collaborate with the government, operate in the contested West Bank, or openly discriminate against Palestinians.
In 2021, Rooney turned down a chance to publish her third novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You with one of those publishers—to the chagrin of many Israeli readers.
