Source: Reuters
Irish novelist Sally Rooney’s books will no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned as a terrorist organisation, Rooney and her publisher said on Wednesday.
The bestselling author, known for novels including “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends”, has been a vocal supporter of Palestine Action, including after it was proscribed by the British government under terrorism laws last year.
Rooney previously said in a witness statement submitted to London’s High Court, in support of a legal challenge over the ban on Palestine Action, that her plans could lead to her books being withdrawn from sale in Britain.
Her publisher Faber said on Wednesday that it had agreed with Rooney that “we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format”, though it would sell her works elsewhere.
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“Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work,” Faber said in a statement.
“To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher.”