Alice Walker rejects Hebrew edition of ‘The Color Purple’

[seabeyond]

Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple," the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that was later turned into a film by Oprah Winfrey, says she is against a new Hebrew translation of the book because of her stance on Israel's treatment of Palestinians.


"I would so like knowing my books are read by the people of your country, especially by the young and by the brave Israeli activists (Jewish and Palestinian) for justice and peace I have had the joy of working beside," she wrote in the letter, obtained by The Associated Press. "I am hopeful that one day, maybe soon, this may happen. But now is not the time."

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The chief editor of Yediot Books, Netta Gurevich, said in a statement Wednesday she regretted Walker's decision to bar the release of a new Hebrew-language edition of her book, a tale about black women's struggle against their miserable status in the American South in the 1930s.

The arts, and literature in particular, "are so important to bridging differences, presenting 'the other' and generating a climate of tolerance and compassion," Gurevich said. "That's all the more so when talking about 'The Color Purple,' a book that addresses discrimination, otherness and the importance of the individual's struggle against injustice in general."

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Walker is a supporter of a movement that seeks to pressure Israel to end its rule over the Palestinian people through boycotts, divestment and sanctions. She was also a passenger on a flotilla that unsuccessfully tried to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip last year.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/47891897/site/todayshow/ns/today-books/t/alice-walker-rejects-hebrew-edition-color-purple/#.T-NTNxevhq0

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i am not bringing this here as an I/P issue. but, a woman using her power in literature to make a statement on her beliefs that are world wide. wow.

[murielm99]

1. I am more in agreement with Gurevich's statement

on the translation.

This does nothing to bridge the gap between the Israelis and Palestinians.

[seabeyond]

2. maybe, probably not. but, it is an interesting way of her using her voice

to make her statement.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. I am as well, and I'm a very strong supporter of the Palestinian cause...

I've never read the book nor watched the movie, but I don't think what she's doing is right at all. The book's supposed to be about tolerance, and that's what's needed when it comes to the I/P conflict, and the more people that read stuff about tolerance the better, imo...

[BlueIris]

5. The book is great. I'm also a big fan of Walker's Possessing the Secret of Joy.

So great. As is her autobiography, The Way Forward is With a Broken Heart (I have a signed copy.)

I don't have a lot to add about her position on the I/P conflict, I guess. Just that I hope it doesn't stop people from reading her work.

[msongs]

3. so does this mean she will not have it translated in english either? nt