America’s largest bookseller has cancelled its planned series of “diverse” classic book covers after a backlash from writers and critics.
Barnes & Noble’s “Diverse Editions” series was announced this week to observe Black History Month, with the books scheduled to arrive on shelves on 6 February.
The project saw the protagonists of 12 classic novels, including Frankenstein and Romeo & Juliet, with “culturally diverse” skin tones.
However, a number of black authors took issue with the project, pointing out that it did nothing to address the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. Many questioned why the bookseller had not chosen to promote black authors, instead.
“There are so many ways to get this right, they had to look for a way to get it wrong,” tweeted LL McKinney. The author of A Dream So Dark, the sequel to A Blade So Black – his contemporary retelling of Alice in Wonderland with a black female lead – called the covers “contemporary blackface”.
Hugo-winning fantasy writer Nnedi Okorafor wrote: “This fake diversity nonsense (where they replace white characters with people of colour) is disgusting.
“It is not sincere or a solution. New stories by people of colour about people of colour is the solution... Stop using us and get out of the way!”
In a statement, Barnes & Noble said: “We acknowledge the voices who have expressed concerns about the Diverse Editions project at our Barnes & Noble Fifth Avenue store and have decided to suspend the initiative.
“The covers are not a substitute for black voices or writers of colour, whose work and voices deserve to be heard. The booksellers who championed this initiative did so convinced it would help drive engagement with these classic titles.”
