Cultural figures urge UK law change over Rooney book sales

More than 150 writers, actors and other cultural figures have signed an open letter urging the UK government to amend antiterror legislation linked to the end of Sally Rooney’s book sales in Britain. The letter, published October 21, says, “Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist,” and argues that her books should remain available to the public. The signatories describe the withdrawal of Rooney’s books from supply as an affront to free expression and call on the government to change the law. Those are the letter’s arguments; the legal and practical effect of the legislation on book sales is distinct from the signatories’ characterization of the decision as censorship. Actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, who starred in the television adaptation of Rooney’s Normal People, and its director, Lenny Abrahamson, signed the letter. Other signatories include writers Zadie Smith, Arundhati Roy and Colm Tóibín, as well as actors Tilda Swinton and Susan Sarandon. Reports describe the signatories as hundreds; one gives a count of more than 150. Rooney and her publisher, Faber, agreed last week to stop supplying her books in the UK. Rooney said she accepted the decision and was...