The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that Alice Walker has refused to authorize a Hebrew translation of her Pulitzer-winning novel, “The Color Purple.” In a letter to Yediot Books, Walker said she would not authorize an Israeli edition of the novel because “Israel is guilty of apartheid and persecution of the Palestinian people, both inside Israel and also in the Occupied Territories.” You can read a summary of responses to Walker’s letter and some thoughts on the subject at The Literary Saloon.

Interestingly, a Hebrew edition of “The Color Purple” was already published in 1986 under the title הצבע ארגמן (which, if you want to get technical about it, actually means “The Color Scarlet”), by Leduri Press. Which might mean either that Walker was still cool with Israeli politics at the time, or that the goings-on at Leduri Press were not at the top of her priority list, what with having Steven Spielberg on line 2 and all.