French author said to scrap Tel Aviv event after backlash from literary journal
Emmanuel Carrère, who is reportedly researching piece on Gaza and West Bank, apologizes for last-minute cancellation, says meeting ‘sparked a controversy that I cannot partake in’
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French author Emmanuel Carrère pulled out of an event in his honor at a Tel Aviv bookstore, organizers announced, reportedly after the writer faced pushback to the planned visit at an Israeli establishment from the staff of a literary journal for which he was writing a piece on the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel has faced increasing calls for a cultural boycott due to the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas-led invasion in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Sipur Pashut bookstore and Babel Publishers, which has published Hebrew translations of some of Carrère’s work, said on Facebook on Thursday that they had been “forced to cancel the event” the following day with the award-winning author.
“Unfortunately, the author was forced to delay the meeting at the last moment due to personal reasons,” said the statement.
It added that Carrère had asked to convey the following message: “I express my sorrow to the readers of Babel Publishers and Sipur Pashut who were set to come to the meeting with me tomorrow. This meeting has sparked a controversy that I cannot partake in, under circumstances that are beyond my control. I am full of hope that we’ll have a chance to meet again soon. Warm regards, Emmanuel Carrère.”
According to Channel 12, Carrère is in the region researching a piece he is writing for French literary journal Kometa on the West Bank and Gaza. His decision to cancel the event in Tel Aviv came after he faced harsh criticism from inside the journal for planning to meet with Israeli readers, according to Hebrew media.
Babel Publishers, a boutique Tel Aviv-based publishing house, first announced the event on Facebook on January 30. It was set to take place at Sipur Pashut, an independent Tel Aviv bookseller whose name means “simple story” and derives from the title of a classic novella by Israeli author S.Y. Agnon.
החנות פתוחה! אנחנו ממש מתגעגעות לפגוש אתכם/ן בלי מחיצות. בואו לבקר וספרו לנו איך אתם/ן מרגישים/ות ומה קראתם/ן בזמן האחרון.
אנחנו כאן בימי השבוע בין השעות 18:00-10:00 ובימי שישי – 15:00-09:00.
ואנחנו עדיין זמינות כפי שהיינו קודם – בטלפון, במייל ובאתר.https://t.co/V4JNPK2uOt pic.twitter.com/YjKkvtySIB— סיפור פשוט (@sipurpashut) November 8, 2020
The event was set to include a book-signing by Carrère and words of welcome from his Hebrew translator Nir Ratzkovsky, Israeli writers Dror Mishani and Zohar Elmakias, and Babel founder Sharon Rotbard.
Carrère, 68, has authored 17 books, including novels and collections of essays. Most of his books have been translated into English, and seven have been translated into Hebrew.
He was born to a wealthy family in Paris. His mother, Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, the daughter of a Georgian immigrant, was a scholar of Russian political history who went on to serve as head of the French Academy and as a member of the European Union parliament.
The Times of Israel Community.