Mescal and Edgar-Jones back Sally Rooney in open letter

Actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones have signed an open letter supporting Sally Rooney after her UK publisher withdrew her books from sale in the country. The letter says Rooney’s books should remain available to the public and calls on the government to amend the legislation behind the decision. Published in The New Statesman, the letter describes Rooney as “a writer, not a terrorist” and says the withdrawal is an affront to free expression. Its signatories say they reject censorship, whether direct or indirect. The letter had 158 signatories, including Mescal, Edgar-Jones, Jessie Buckley, Susan Sarandon, Tilda Swinton, Jonathan Glazer and Zadie Smith. Faber said UK legislation prevents it from passing UK earnings from Rooney’s books to the author. The publisher said it could no longer supply her work in the UK in any format because selling the books without being able to pass on the earnings was not acceptable. Rooney said she agreed with Faber’s decision. The books withdrawn from UK sale include Normal People, Conversations with Friends, Beautiful World, Where Are You and Intermezzo. Rooney’s support for Palestine Action is the reason cited for the publisher’s...