A number of Hachette Book Group employees are protesting the publishing house’s acquisition of Woody Allen‘s memoir.
On Tuesday, Hachette’s Grand Central Publishing division announced that it bought the controversial director’s autobiography, Apropos of Nothing. Set to hit shelves on April 7, the book is touted as a “comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional,” according to a statement from the publishers, which added that he “also writes of his relationships with family, friends and the loves of his life.”
As news of the book deal sparked outrage among industry members (Allen, 84, has previously faced accusations of child molestation), members of Hachette’s staff staged a walk out on Thursday in response to the decision.
One witness who posted a photo of the scene of the protest on Twitter estimated more than 75 employees participating.
“We respect and understand the perspective of our employees who have decided to express their concern over the publication of this book,” Hachette said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We will engage our staff in a fuller discussion about this at the earliest opportunity.”
Dylan Farrow — Allen’s daughter who has accused him of molesting her as a child — called the literary news “shocking.”
“Hachette’s publishing of Woody Allen’s memoir is deeply unsettling to me personally and an utter betrayal of my brother whose brave reporting, capitalized on by Hachette, gave voice to numerous survivors of sexual assault by powerful men,” read Dylan’s statement. “For the record, I was never contacted by any fact checkers to verify the information in this memoir, demonstrating an egregious abdication of Hachette’s most basic responsibility.”
Dylan, 34, continued: “On the other hand, my story has undergone endless scrutiny and has never been published without extensive fact checking. This provides yet another example of the profound privilege that power, money, and notoriety affords. Hachette’s complicity in this should be called out for what it is and they should have to answer for it.”
In 2017, the Annie Hall director faced resurfaced allegations of child molestation by his daughter Dylan, who claimed in a New York Times open letter in 2014 that Allen molested her as a child.
Allen has long denied the allegations, which were first reported during his explosive 1992 split from Mia Farrow. The director was not charged, though a Connecticut prosecutor said there was probable cause for a criminal case.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Dylan is the adopted daughter of Allen and his former girlfriend, Mia Farrow, with whom he also shares adopted son Moses and biological son Ronan.
Ronan Farrow — whose recent bombshell book Catch and Kill, which exposed alleged coverups of sexual misconduct, was published by Hachette — condemned the publication of Allen’s book.
“I was disappointed to learn through press reports that Hachette, my publisher, acquired Woody Allen’s memoir after other major publishers refused to do so,” Farrow, 32, wrote on Twitter, claiming the book publisher “concealed the decision from me and its own employees while we were working on Catch and Kill — a book about how powerful men, including Woody Allen, avoid accountability for sexual abuse.”
Source: Read Full Article