Normal People stars back Sally Rooney in open letter

Actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, who portrayed the lead characters in the television adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling novel "Normal People," have joined a chorus of support for the author in an open letter. The letter, published in the New Statesman, asserts that Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist, and that her books must remain accessible to the public.

The signatories criticize UK legislation that has led to Faber, Rooney's publisher, discontinuing the supply of her books in the country, viewing it as a violation of freedom of expression. The letter urges the UK government to amend the legislation, rejecting what the signatories describe as "direct or indirect censorship."

Other Irish figures who have signed the open letter include actors Jessie Buckley and Sharon Horgan, as well as writers Marian Keyes, Colm Tóibín, Anne Enright, Colum McCann, and Anna Burns. International supporters add their names to the cause, including Tilda Swinton, Susan Sarandon, Zadie Smith, Arundhati Roy, and Nobel literature laureates Anne Carson, Annie Ernaux, and JM Coetzee.

Rooney has previously expressed her intention to use earnings from her books and the television adaptation to support Palestine Action, a group she has supported financially. Faber, Rooney's publisher, explained that UK legislation precludes them from passing on earnings from British sales to the author, deeming it "unconscionable" to sell an author's work without compensating them.

The publisher's decision to stop supplying Rooney's books in the UK was made with the author's full agreement. While Rooney's books are not formally banned in the UK, retailers are barred from ordering new copies from Faber, and existing stock can only be sold. Rooney's books remain available in Ireland and other international markets.