Don’t let Britain shelve Sally Rooney

This week, something happened in Britain that should worry every reader, every writer and everyone who believes in free speech.

Faber, the publisher of the Irish novelist Sally Rooney, announced that it will no longer supply her books in the United Kingdom, in any format. Her novels, Normal People, Conversations with Friends, Beautiful World, Where Are You and Intermezzo, will slowly disappear from British bookshops.

Faber said that current UK law means it cannot pass on UK earnings to the author. It said that selling a writer’s work without paying her is not acceptable for any publisher. It will continue to sell her books in every other country.

Think about that for a moment. A British publisher can sell its own author’s books all over the world, but not in Britain.

How did we reach this point? In July 2025, the government banned the direct-action group Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act. A month later, Rooney wrote openly in The Irish Times about her position and said she would direct the proceeds of her work accordingly. The group is not banned in Ireland, where she lives. In Britain, however, she says that fulfilling her publishing contracts could now be a serious criminal offence.

She warned the High Court last year that this could happen. She also won the Sky Arts Award for literature for Intermezzo, but she could not come to London to receive it because she feared arrest.

This week, she said she had tried to be honest with the public about her beliefs, and that she was ready to accept the consequences. Many public figures hide their views to protect their careers. Rooney did the opposite. She told the truth and accepted the price.

It is fair to state the government’s position too. In June, the Court of Appeal ruled that the ban is lawful. Ministers say people can always oppose the ban by lawful means. The case is not finished, and it is expected to go to the Supreme Court. The courts will decide what is legal. But what is legal is not always what is wise.

No court has convicted Sally Rooney of any crime. No jury has heard her case. Yet the result is clear: a novelist is being separated from her readers in a democratic country because of a view she expressed. When this happens in other countries, Britain is quick to criticise it. We should hold ourselves to the same standard.

Since the ban began, thousands of people have been arrested across Britain, most of them for holding signs. Many were older people, teachers, faith leaders and former soldiers. Now the effect of the law has moved from the streets into the bookshops. Jeremy Corbyn described the decision as more proof that the ban is absurd. The band Kneecap expressed their solidarity.

Many writers and readers are now asking a simple question: if this can happen to one of the most famous writers of her generation, what is happening quietly to the writers, artists and academics we never hear about?

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For me, as a Palestinian, this is personal. My father was born in Majdal Sadiq, near Ramla. In 1948, he left with my grandfather and never returned. Our story as Palestinians has often been told by others, cut by others, or kept off the shelf completely. So when a writer with Sally Rooney’s voice refuses to stay silent, it means a great deal to us.

This is not the first time she has paid a price. In 2021, she refused to sell the Hebrew translation rights of her third novel to an Israeli publisher that would not distance itself from apartheid. Two major Israeli bookshop chains removed her books. At the same time, a Palestinian bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem ordered more copies, because readers were asking for them. Today, her books are leaving the shelves of another country.

So what can we do? We can do a lot, and all of it within the law.

First, buy the copies that are still in shops. Waterstones has confirmed that its existing stock can still be sold. Ask for her books at your local bookshop while they are still there.

Second, look for second-hand copies. Charity shops, Oxfam’s online shop, World of Books and AbeBooks all have copies already in circulation.

Third, use your public library. Borrow her novels, reserve them, and ask your library to keep them on the shelves. Librarians notice what readers ask for.

Fourth, read her and share her. Choose one of her novels for your book club. Lend your copy to a friend. A book only truly disappears when people stop reading it.

Fifth, write to your MP. Ask a simple question: why is Britain the only country where her own publisher cannot sell her books? Ask whether a law made to stop violence should end up removing novels from bookshops.

You do not have to agree with every view Sally Rooney holds to stand with her. You only need to believe in something Britain has always said it values: that writers should not lose their readers because of what they believe and say.

Her novels are about ordinary people trying to speak honestly to each other. It would be very sad if the country that made her famous became the one place where her honesty cost her a voice.

Britain can still change course. Until then, the least we can do is keep her books in our hands, and keep her voice on our shelves.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.