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Sally Rooney book withdrawal from United Kingdom

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-21 22:59 UTC → 2026-10-25 16:08 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Irish novelist Sally Rooney and her publisher, Faber & Faber, have announced the withdrawal of her books from the United Kingdom market in all formats. This decision follows Rooney’s commitment to donate her royalties and proceeds from television adaptations to Palestine Action, a group the British government proscribed as a terrorist organization in July 2025. Faber & Faber stated that under current UK anti-terrorism legislation, transferring earnings generated from UK sales to the group would constitute a criminal offense. The publisher described the legal inability to pass on the author’s earnings as an “unconscionable situation.” While new supplies are being halted, existing stock in retailers such as Waterstones may remain on shelves for the time being. Faber & Faber confirmed they will continue to sell Rooney’s works in other territories, such as Ireland. In response to the withdrawal, over 150 cultural figures—including Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux and Anne Carson, and actors Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Tilda Swinton—signed an open letter published in The New Statesman. The signatories characterized the withdrawal as an “affront to basic principles of free speech” and described the anti-terror legislation as a “repressive absurdity” and “draconian.” Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended the proscription of Palestine Action, describing it as a “rigorous and evidence-based process” endorsed by ~~Parliament, noting the group is listed alongside organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.~~ Parliament. Rooney has indicated her readiness to accept legal consequences, noting that fulfilling publishing contracts within the UK could constitute a “serious criminal offense,” as Palestine Action is not a proscribed group in Ireland. ~~Palestine Action is currently appealing its proscription, with~~ In a show of solidarity, the ~~UK Supreme Court expected~~ children’s literature laureates for Ireland and Wales have pledged their own royalties to ~~hear a case regarding~~ Rooney. Chris Haughton, Ireland’s laureate, described the ~~ban in~~ legal restrictions as a “farce” and an “absurdity,” while Wales’s laureate, Nicola Davies, pledged her upcoming half-year royalties to the ~~coming weeks.~~ author.

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