Irish culture journalist Aoife Barry explains the decision and describes the polarized reaction.
Irish culture journalist Aoife Barry explains the decision and describes the polarized reaction
CBC Arts · Posted: Oct 20, 2026 4:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago
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PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Sally Rooney speaks onstage during the Hulu Panel at Winter TCA 2020 at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 17, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Erik Voake/Getty Images for Hulu)
The Irish novelist Sally Rooney became famous for writing about millennial relationships. But even before she became a best-seller, she was an outspoken supporter of Palestine.
Now, her books are set to disappear from U.K. shelves after she pledged to donate the proceeds to a pro-Palestinian group, which the British government calls a terrorist organization.
Today on Commotion, Irish culture journalist Aoife Barry joins guest host Radheyan Simonpillai to explain the decision, and describe the polarized reaction.
WATCH | Today’s episode on YouTube
(Ray Mona/CBC)
You can listen to the full discussion from today’s show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Aoife Barry produced by Jessica Low.