Bestselling author R.F. Kuang is facing online backlash after advance copies of her forthcoming novel, Taipei Story, included a brief reference to an Israeli character.
Kuang, the Chinese American author of Yellowface and Babel, withdrew in December from the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, held in Dubai in January, citing a call by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee to boycott the United Arab Emirates over alleged involvement in “the mass atrocities in Sudan.”
“I have always respected organized calls for boycotts against genocide from communities directly affected, and in particular guidelines set forth by the BDS movement,” she wrote.
Kuang, who is listed on Bookfinity as a “pro-Palestine author,” contributed a rare edition of her novel The Dragon Republic to a Books For Palestine auction in November 2023.
Her upcoming novel, scheduled for release in September, includes references to an Israeli character. In the book, Kuang writes, “The pianist was from Israel, and he was a big deal: He had performed at concert halls throughout Europe and the Americas and been a soloist with all sorts of philharmonic orchestras. This was his first time in Taiwan. The National Concert Hall was honored to host him.”
The reference has drawn criticism on TikTok and other platforms, where some reviewers accused Kuang of “normalizing” Israelis.
“Kuang shouldn’t have done it,” one reviewer stated, adding that there are “other ways” the author could have portrayed “colonizers” in a negative way than using an Israeli character.
“The context it’s used in normalizes a genocidal apartheid state,” another wrote.
In response to the controversy, Jewish author Jean Meltzer stated that “stories are supposed to reflect the full complexity of the world we live in. That includes the people we agree with, the people we don’t, and the people whose identities have been politicized against their will.”
Meltzer cited a “coordinated attack” against her own novel, The Matzah Ball, which included a Jewish character making a joke about being a Mossad agent. “I had the audacity to mention Israel on the page,” she said. “To acknowledge it existed.”
She added that she’s written Israel “into every single book I published afterward. Because shame on anyone who screams about book banning while simultaneously lighting authors on fire.”
