American writer Elizabeth Gilbert said she was postponing the release of her new novel, which takes place in Siberia, due to the reaction of Ukrainian readers. She spoke about this on her Twitter.
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Gilbert’s new novel The Snow Forest, set in Siberia, was due out on February 13, 2024, shortly before the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The book tells about a family that decides to oppose the Soviet authorities in the 1930s.
Gilbert said she would “correct course” and “is not yet the time for this book to be published,” she said.
The “Snow Forest” is based on the story of the Lykov family, who spent more than 40 years in the Siberian wilderness, practically not communicating with people. According to Gilbert, she was inspired to write the novel by isolation during the pandemic.
In the comments that appeared in her feed, people indicated that the book’s February 2024 release date would coincide with the anniversary of the war. Others compared the publication of a book “glorifying” the Russians to “writing a book about the brave Germans in the 1940s.”
The writer said that recently she received a large number of messages from Ukrainian readers who expressed their indignation because she decided to release a book now, which is set in Russia.
I read these messages and respect them. Now is not the time for this book to be published. I do not want to add pain to people who are already experiencing and continue to experience severe suffering, – said Gilbert.
Until June 12, this unpublished book received hundreds of negative reviews on the Goodreads website, The New York Times notes. At the same time, Gilbert’s decision to cancel the release of the book caused surprise in the literary community, which perceived the event as self-censorship, the newspaper writes.
Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of several books, including her 2006 memoir Eat, Pray, Love. This book spent 187 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. In 2010, the book was followed by a film starring Julia Roberts.
Source: Racurs
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