Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo to get Hebrew translation

In 2021, Sally Rooney turned down a translation offer from the publisher for her third novel, citing her desire to support the BDS movement

Novelist Sally Rooney is releasing a Hebrew translation of her latest novel more than four years after she turned down a translation of an earlier novel, citing her support for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

Rooney is publishing her bestselling 2024 novel, Intermezzo, through November Books, an independent Israeli publisher that supports Palestinian rights, with +972 Magazine and Local Call, two independent media outlets in Israel and Palestine.

The 35-year-old has published four wildly popular novels that have been translated into dozens of languages.

The first two — Conversations with Friends and Normal People — were translated into Hebrew by the Israeli publisher, Modan.

However, in 2021, Rooney turned down a translation offer from the publisher for her third novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, citing her desire to support the BDS movement, a Palestinian-led, global campaign that seeks to “end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law”.

Sally Rooney is releasing a Hebrew translation of Intermezzo

In a conversation with Irish Palestinian artist and activist Samir Eskanda, Rooney spoke about her regret at having once worked with a publisher she later realised had ties to the Israeli military. “How could my actions be so inconsistent with my beliefs?” she said.

By the time her third book was published, she added: “I had also become something of a public figure, and I felt a greater sense of responsibility in making decisions around my work.”

Modan did not respond to a request for comment.

November Books is the only Israeli publisher that meets conditions the BDS movement has set for exemption from the boycott.

It does not operate in illegal Israeli settlements, receives no Israeli state funding, and explicitly recognises the legal rights of Palestinians, Rooney said.

• The Guardian