Hachette Book Group has decided not to publish embattled filmmaker Woody Allen’s memoir Apropos of Nothing following a massive backlash.
Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group (HBG), acquired the memoir a year ago and will bring it out on April 7, the company said earlier this week.
Mr. Allen has become a subject of discussion over the resurfacing of the sexual assault allegations levelled against him by his step-daughter Dylan Farrow, journalist Ronan Farrow’s sister, which caught steam in the wake of the #MeToo uprising. He has repeatedly denied the accusations.
The company’s decision didn’t go down well with many, including both Mr. Ronan and Ms. Dylan as well as its own staff who staged a walkout in protest on Thursday.
In a statement, obtained by Deadline , a representative of the publishing house said the decision to cancel the book’s publication was a “difficult one.”
“We take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books. As publishers, we make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard...,” the official said in a statement.
“Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG,” the official said.
It was reported last year that Mr. Allen was pitching his memoir to several publishers but but was rebuffed in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Incidentally, Hachette’s division Little, Brown and Company published Catch and Kill , by Ronan Farrow in 2019, in which he wrote about his reporting during the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of many powerful Hollywood executives, including Harvey Weinstein , over sexual abuse allegations.
Mr. Ronan, who had severed his ties with the publishing house after its decision, on Saturday thanked the company for listening to the voices of people who are opposing Mr. Allen’s book.
“I’m grateful to all the Hachette employees and authors who spoke up and to the company for listening,” Mr. Ronan tweeted.
Ms. Dylan posted a statement on Twitter and said she is in “awe and so very grateful” to Hachette Group’s employees for taking a stand.
“To each and every individual who, at great professional risk to themselves, stood in solidarity with my brother, myself, and with all victims of sexual assault yesterday: words will never describe the debt of gratitude I owe to you,” she said.
