When Sally Rooney publishes a novel, we all urgently rush to our nearest bookshop to buy it. The Irish author has been dubbed a ‘voice of a generation’ for her incisive writing on the complexity of modern relationships, but soon UK readers will struggle to bag her bestselling books.
Sally recently announced that her books will no longer be sold in the UK due to her support for Palestine Action. As the UK government banned Palestine Action last year and designated it as a terrorist organisation, Sally says she cannot be paid royalties by her British publisher because it could risk her being accused of funding terrorism.
She said that the sale and publication of her books in the UK could ‘constitute a serious criminal offence’. Sally has long been a vocal supporter of Palestine Action and previously called the British proscription of the group ‘a truly extreme assault on ordinary rights and freedoms’.
With Sally in the news, you might be wondering more about her. From her career to her marriage, read on to find out everything we know about the award-winning author.
Who is Sally Rooney?
Celebrated as ‘the first great millennial author’, Sally Rooney is an Irish writer, best known for her novels Conversations with Friends, Normal People, Beautiful World, Where Are You, and Intermezzo.
As well as selling millions of copies of her books and picking up droves of literary awards, Sally has seen two of her novels adapted to the small screen. Conversations with Friends and Normal People were turned into TV series on BBC Three and Hulu. The latter of which was a huge hit in the Covid lockdown and shot its stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal to fame.
Born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Sally is a middle child and has an older brother and younger sister. Her parents are Kieran Rooney, who worked for Telecom Éireann, and Marie Farrell, who ran an arts centre. She studied English at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), where she was a keen competitive debater. In 2013, she became the top debater at the European Universities Debating Championships.
She wrote her first published novel Conversations with Friends during her master’s degree in just three months; her debut won her The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Next followed [Normal People]{href="https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/tv-and-film/normal-people-reactions/" target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}, which was an international smash hit, and adapted in 2020 into a popular BBC series. In her career so far, she’s released five novels, all of which have achieved critical and commercial success. Sally has previously featured on Time Magazine’s lauded ‘most influential people’ yearly list.
How old is Sally Rooney?
Born on 20 February 1991, Sally is 35 years old.
Is Sally Rooney married?
Yes, Sally is married to John Prasifka, a maths teacher. The couple met when they were both students at TCD. While Sally is pretty private about their relationship, she has previously shared the heartwarming influence John has had on her writing.
‘Having had this experience of falling in love when I was very young, with somebody who completely transformed my life, and transforms it every day, has allowed me to write stories about people whose lives are transformed by love,’ she told The Guardian in 2024. ‘Without that, I don’t think my work would be recognisable. Just his presence in my life made it possible for me to write everything that I’ve written.’
What are Sally Rooney’s political views?
Sally has described herself as having a Marxist worldview. 'I don't know what it means to write a Marxist novel,' she said in an interview. 'I don't know and I would love to know. It is the analytical structure that helps me make sense of the world around me.'
She is also a vocal campaigner for Palestinian rights and a prominent public supporter of Palestine Action, a direct action protest network. When the UK government banned Palestine Action in July last year, Sally said she would use the proceeds of her work to support the group.
In an opinion piece she wrote for The Irish Times, Rooney said: 'Palestine Action has been among the strongest of those voices in the UK, taking direct steps to halt the seemingly unstoppable machinery of violence. We owe their courageous activists our gratitude and solidarity. And by now, almost two years into a live-streamed genocide, we owe the people of Palestine more than mere words.'
Why are Sally Rooney’s books being withdrawn in the UK?
Due to Sally's support for Palestine Action, she has said that she will no longer be able to publish or sell her books in the UK. As Palestine Action is labelled a terrorist organisation by the British government, Sally's public pledge to share her royalties with the group could be considered a criminal offense.
A statement from Faber, Sally's UK and Ireland publisher read: 'Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher. As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format.'