SALLY Rooney will release her latest novel in Hebrew after partnering with a small publisher backed by the Israeli boycott movement.
The best-selling novelist, known for books such as Normal People and Conversations With Friends, will have her latest work, Intermezzo, released in the Jewish language.
In an interview for The Guardian with Samir Eskanda, a Palestinian-Irish artist and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activist, Rooney said: “For me, the act of translation is in itself a beautiful ideal.
“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. I’m very pleased that Intermezzo will soon be available in Hebrew with November Books.”
November Books, a small imprint based in Israel, has spoken out against Israeli apartheid and was backed in a statement from the Palestine Festival of Literature in 2024.
The company has previously said that Israel “should not be a Jewish state but rather a state of all its citizens and recognise the right of return as it was accepted by the UN” and said it does not have “any contact or relations with Israeli entities in the Palestinian occupied territories”.
Rooney announced in 2021 that she would back the BDS campaign, which aims to put pressure on the Israeli state by putting financial pressure on the country’s industries and exports.
She made clear at the time that her works could be translated into Hebrew, which is the official language of Israel, if a company aligned with the BDS guidelines could be found.
Ishai Menuchin, director of November Books, said: “First and foremost, Intermezzo is an outstanding novel that deserves to be available to Hebrew readers.
“At the same time, in parts of the media and in Israeli society more broadly, the boycott movement is often portrayed as inherently discriminatory. This discourse ignores BDS guidelines, which target complicity, not identity, and specifically complicity in Israel’s policies and actions as the underlying reason for the boycott.
“Publishing books by authors who endorse the BDS movement demonstrates to Israeli readers that opposition to occupation, apartheid, and genocide is what lies at the heart of the boycott – a clearly legitimate form of nonviolent political protest.”
The publication is being done in partnership with +972 Magazine and Local Call, two independent media outlets in Palestine and Israel, which describe themselves as being committed to fair journalism and opposition to military occupation and apartheid.
Haggai Matar, of +972 Magazine and Local Call, said: “Like Rooney’s previous novels, Intermezzo is a beautiful, intelligent, and deeply sensitive book, and it is a great privilege to bring it into print for Hebrew readers.
“It is also a privilege to be part of this publishing initiative that helps draw Israelis’ attention to the real demands of the BDS movement and of the Palestinian people. Instead of demonising nonviolent activism, we should listen to people like Sally Rooney, take a stand against genocide and apartheid, and advance peace, justice and liberation – for the sake of Palestinians, as well as Israelis.”
Rooney has become a high-profile supporter of the Palestinian cause and has also backed Palestine Action after the group was banned under terror laws by the UK Government.
The Irish author last year revealed she would “use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can”.
