Friday, October 10, 2008

Update: Controversial Novelist Stays Home

Frankfurters won't have the opportunity of meeting Sherry Jones, the author of The Jewel of Medina, the controversial novel about Aisha, the young wife of the prophet Muhammad. (You can read details the book and ensuing controversy here.) She was expected to attend the Fair to help launch the publication of her novel in Europe on the 15th. Since the firebombing of her UK publisher's home earlier in the month, the UK pub has been postponed indefinitely, while the US pub was pushed to this week.
"This is nothing to do with threats or fear,” US publisher Eric Kampmann said, "We want Sherry here to promote her book, not in Germany talking about terrorism.”

In September 28 profile on this blog, said that he didn’t fear violence in reaction to the book in US.

“In Europe, they have far more problems with radical Islamic violence than we do here in the United States,” said Kampmann, “There are a half-dozen European publishers putting out the book and if they don’t have a problem with it, I don’t.”
What do you think the reaction in continental Europe will be?

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