LONDON–in a controversial decision, publisher Henry Holt and Co. has withdraw Hilary Mantel’s award-winning short-story collection, “The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher,” after several online threats to “really be quite cross about this” and launch one or more “truly devastating snubs” of people seen reading the book.
“While we all support freedom of speech,” said a Holt spokesman, “the reality of the situation requires us to withdraw this book immediately, to protect our staff and our readers from possible unpleasantness.”
The source of the threats was not known. Investigators said they had virtually no clues to go on, aside from an email chain that included a weather forecast for extended drizzle and a discussion of the English cricket team. “It could have come from anywhere,” an investigator concluded.
Hackers had already broken into the publisher’s server and published hundreds of embarrassing documents. Among the most significant releases were embarrassing emails describing several nominees for the Man Booker prize as “a little dull at times,” and also a spreadsheet showing that some of the company’s roster of poets were paid dozens or even hundreds of pounds per book.
Reblogged this on digger666.
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Reblogged this on Sig Nordal, Jr. and commented:
To withdraw the book is playing into the hands of terrorists/criminals. The book should be published and “The Interview” should be playing in theaters. Why are we giving in to this? If this continues, we will forgo our freedom because of our own inability to deal with this situation. Is that what we really want?
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