JTA — Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who drew headlines in 2021 for refusing a Hebrew translation of one of her books, is now publishing her latest novel in Hebrew through an Israeli publisher approved by boycott activists.

The Hebrew translation of “Intermezzo,” due out next month, will be published by November Books in collaboration with the left-wing Israeli news sites 972 Magazine and Local Call. The arrangement was announced this week alongside an interview Rooney conducted with Palestinian-Irish activist Samir Eskanda for The Guardian.

Rooney’s decision marks an unusual but not unprecedented attempt to work within the framework of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, which has long called on artists and cultural figures to avoid working with Israeli institutions it considers complicit in Israeli government policies toward Palestinians.

In 2021, Rooney declined to sell Hebrew translation rights for her novel “Beautiful World, Where Are You?” to the Israeli publisher that had previously released her books in Hebrew. At the time, she said she supported the BDS movement and would not work with an Israeli publisher unless it was willing to “publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people.”

That move prompted backlash in Israel and beyond, including calls to boycott Rooney’s work. Israeli bookstore chains reportedly removed some of her books from shelves.

Now, Rooney, 35, says she believes publishing “Intermezzo” in Hebrew through November Books is compatible with the boycott campaign because the publisher does not operate in West Bank settlements, does not receive Israeli government funding, and has endorsed Palestinian rights.

“Though my refusal to work with complicit Israeli publishing houses made the contractual side of things more complex, I was, of course, never boycotting the Hebrew language or any language,” Rooney told The Guardian. “I’m very pleased that ‘Intermezzo’ will soon be available in........

© The Times of Israel