Irish novelist Sally Rooney will publish the Hebrew translation of her latest novel, Intermezzo, through November Books, a small Israeli nonprofit publisher that meets the standards of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The decision marks a shift from 2021, when Rooney declined to sell Hebrew translation rights for a previous novel, citing concerns about working with Israeli cultural institutions she viewed as complicit in government policies toward Palestinians.

November Books, which does not receive Israeli government funding and does not operate in West Bank settlements, collaborated on the project with the Israeli news site 972 Magazine and Local Call. Rooney said she remained in contact with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to ensure the arrangement aligned with the movement’s guidelines. More than 7,000 writers have joined a boycott of Israeli literary institutions since late 2024, and organizers said November Books was the only publisher to meet their exemption criteria.

Rooney said she was never boycotting the Hebrew language and expressed satisfaction that her novel would now be available to Hebrew readers. She acknowledged evolving views on the role of Israeli cultural institutions and maintained that supporting the boycott had not harmed her career, despite criticism and backlash within Israel and the broader literary community.