New York Times Columnist Tried to Block Publication of Book in Israel: Alaa al-Aswany

Free Beacon ^ | 10/29/13 | Alana Goodman

[Nachum]

A newly hired New York Times columnist is an anti-Israel conspiracy theorist who is so opposed to “normalization” with the Jewish state that he once fought to prevent a think tank from translating his novel into Hebrew.

Influential Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany sparked controversy in literary circles in 2010 when he tried to block the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information from publishing a Hebrew translation of his novel The Yacoubian Building.

IPCRI co-chairman Gershon Baskin told the Washington Free Beacon that his organization enlisted Amos Schocken, the editor of left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz, to publish the Hebrew translation. However, Aswany would not give Schocken or the IPCRI permission.

“I met [Aswany] at the Gothenburg book fair in Sweden, and introduced myself, and gave him a letter … asking for permission to translate [the Yacoubian Building] and to pay him for the royalties,” IPCRI co-chairman Gershon Baskin told the Washington Free Beacon. “He responded that he would refuse to have it published in Israel.”

Aswany’s book had already been translated into 19 languages at the time, according to The Guardian.

[Nachum]

New York Times Columnist Tried to Block Publication of Book in Israel Alaa al-Aswany promised to give royalties to Hamas if published in Hebrew

[mojito]

Another great hire by Pinch.

Isn't Ahmadinejad out of a job? I'm sure he'd love to come to NY and work for Pinch. Somebody should call his agent.