Author Elizabeth Gilbert pulls new book set in Russia after backlash

2023-06-12

Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert PULLS new book The Snow Forest set in Russia after backlash from Ukrainian readers

American author Elizabeth Gilbert pulled her upcoming book, ‘The Snow Forest’ from publication
She said that by setting it in Russia she had received backlash from Ukrainians
Gilbert is best known for the book ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert has decided not to publish her upcoming novel ‘The Snow Forest’ after facing backlash for setting it in Russia.

Gilbert posted a video to Twitter Monday to say that an ‘outpouring’ of negative reaction from Ukrainian readers within a week of the book’s announcement had compelled her to call off its publication.

The Snow Forest is set in remote Siberia in the mid-20th century and tells the story of a secluded family living isolated from the Soviet regime, according to a page on the Penguin Random House website that was deleted on Monday afternoon.

Gilbert is the author of the novel ‘City of Girls’ and the memoir ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ which was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts.

It sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, according to Gilbert’s website, netting sales in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert (pictured in 2020) has decided not to publish her upcoming novel The Snow Forest after facing backlash for choosing to set it in Russia

The cover of Gilbert’s upcoming book ‘The Snow Forest,’ which is set in remote Siberia tells the story of a secluded family living isolated from the Soviet regime

‘Over the course of this weekend I have received an enormous, massive outpouring of reaction and responses from my Ukrainian readers expressing anger, sorrow, disappointment and pain about the fact that I would choose to release a book into the world right now – any book, no matter what the subject of it is – that is set in Russia,’ said Gilbert in the short video.

‘I do not want to add any harm to a group of people who have already experienced – and who are continuing to experience – grievous and extreme harm,’ she said.

‘I want to say that I have heard these messages, and read these messages and respect them, and as a result I am making a course correction and I am removing the book from its publication schedule,’ she said. ‘It is not the time for this book to be published.’

The Snow Forest was due to be released in February 2024 and Gilbert said in a caption that anybody who pre-ordered the book would be refunded.

Reaction to her announcement was mixed. A number of Twitter users sporting Ukrainian flags in their display names expressed gratitude over the decision.

‘This! is great. Thank you,’ said one.

‘Your decision means a lot to your numerous Ukrainian readers and people who fight for democracy against totalitarianism,’ wrote another.

Another question the move, asking: ‘As a fellow author I’m confused Elizabeth – would you also insist that we shouldn’t watch the films of Tarkovsky or read the novels of Dostoevsky because they are Russian?’

‘Eat, Pray, Love’ sold more than 10 million copies worldwide netting sales in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars

Gilbert noted in the video that she was working on other books and would turn her attention to those for the time being.

In a similar video on her Twitter just a week prior, Gilbert seemed excited to have unveiled the new book.

‘This is a novel that is going to take you into the deepest realms of the Siberian taiga and into the heart and mind of an extraordinary girl born into that world,’ she said.

‘A girl of great spiritual and creative talent, raised far, far, far from everything that we call normal.’

DailyMail.com asked Penguin Random House subsidiary Riverhead Books to comment on who made the decision to pull the book, but officials did not respond in time for this report.

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