Kenneth Glad
A publishing decision has reopened debate over the relationship between art, politics and public accountability. The latest development highlights how cultural disputes increasingly extend far beyond books themselves.
A Hebrew edition of Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo is being published after a previous translation dispute made international headlines.
The dispute began in 2021, when the author declined a Hebrew translation offer from a mainstream Israeli publisher.
Rooney told The Guardian, in an interview with Palestinian Irish activist Samir Eskanda, that she had not fully understood at first how the cultural boycott applied to publishing.
She said she later came to believe that working with certain Israeli publishers would conflict with her support for Palestinian rights and the BDS movement.
Israeli bookstore chains then removed her books from shelves. Rooney says the backlash unsettled her at first, but support from boycott activists reassured her:
“But when I do feel that I’m right, I’m not much bothered by criticism.”
New route
Intermezzo is now being released in Hebrew by November Books, in collaboration with +972 Magazine and Local Call.
Rooney told the British newspaper that November Books contacted her agent and explained why the edition met BDS requirements.
She said the publisher does not operate in Israeli settlements, receives no Israeli state funding and recognises Palestinian rights under international law.
The BDS movement says its cultural boycott targets institutions accused of complicity, not individuals or identity.
PACBI, which guides the academic and cultural boycott, says artists should avoid partnerships with Israeli institutions unless they meet boycott conditions.
Boycott conditions
Eskanda argued in the exchange that the issue was not Hebrew readers, but whether a publisher helps legitimise Israeli state policy.
He said few Israeli cultural institutions have met the standards required for exemption from the boycott. November Books, he argued, is one of the rare exceptions.
Rooney said she remained in contact with PACBI during the process, so the release would follow both the wording and purpose of the boycott.
Eskanda urged artists to treat boycott decisions as collective action, not personal branding.
Rooney said public visibility can make writers more useful politically, even when mainstream success risks softening radical positions.
For supporters, the new edition shows that a boycott can reject institutional complicity without rejecting a language. For critics, any Israeli publishing deal is likely to remain contested.
Sources: The Guardian; PACBI; BDS Movement.
