Sally Rooney’s latest novel, Intermezzo, is to be translated into Hebrew, nearly five years after she refused to sell publication rights to an Israeli publisher citing her desire to support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The translation will be published by independent Israeli publishers November Books and +972 Magazine – organisations Rooney claims comply with BDS guidelines.
In a new interview published this week with The Guardian, Rooney, 35, said she regretted previously working with publishers linked to the Israeli military and described the Israeli cultural sector as “complicit in apartheid”.
Rooney previously refused to sell Hebrew-language rights for her 2021 novel Beautiful World, Where Are You to the Israeli publisher Modan, citing concerns over the company’s apparent links to the IDF.
At the time, the Irish author stressed that she was not opposed to Hebrew translations or Israeli readers, saying she would be “very pleased and proud” to see her work translated into Hebrew through a publisher aligned with BDS principles. Modan had previously translated her first two novels into Hebrew.
The decision triggered a fierce backlash in Israel, with two major bookshop chains removing Rooney’s titles from their shelves.
Rooney has since become one of the most prominent literary figures associated with anti-Israel activism. In October 2024, she joined more than 5,500 writers in pledging not to work with Israeli cultural institutions accused of complicity in violations of Palestinian rights.
Her activism intensified further in 2025 when she publicly backed the direct-action group Palestine Action after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed military aircraft with red paint.
In the interview with The Guardian, published on Tuesday, Rooney said she rejected Modan’s request to publish Beautiful World, Where Are You after learning of what she described as the publisher’s ties to the IDF.
She said November Books was the first Israeli publisher she believed fully met the conditions required under the BDS campaign’s institutional boycott guidelines.
“For instance, November Books does not operate in illegal Israeli settlements, receives no state funding and explicitly recognises the international legal rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return,” she said.
Published in 2024, Intermezzo became one of Rooney’s fastest-selling novels and follows two brothers grappling with grief after their father’s death.
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