Publisher drops plans to release Woody Allen's memoir

[rooster59]

Publisher drops plans to release Woody Allen's memoir

 

FILE PHOTO: Director Woody Allen arrives for a screening of the film “Wonder Wheel” in New York, U.S., November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - The publisher of filmmaker Woody Allen's forthcoming memoir said on Friday it had scrapped plans to release the book following criticism and a walkout by staff over a longstanding allegation he molested his daughter.

 

Hachette Book Group had previously announced it would debut Allen's book, "A Propos of Nothing," in April. Allen has repeatedly denied the accusation that he molested his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, in 1992.

 

On Thursday, dozens of Hachette employees in New York staged a midday walkout to protest the company's decision to publish Allen's book.

 

In a statement on Friday, Hachette said it had "extensive" conversations with staff and others and concluded that publishing the book "would not be feasible."

 

"The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult one," the statement said. "At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books."

 

Representatives for Allen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

Dylan Farrow and her brother, journalist Ronan Farrow, had both criticized Hachette's plan to release their father's book.

The decision was "deeply upsetting to me," Dylan Farrow wrote on Twitter earlier this month.

 

Allen has denied the allegation by Dylan Farrow, which was also made by her mother, Mia Farrow, who appeared in Allen films and was his longtime partner.

 

Allen has not been charged. He is the winner of four Oscars, including best director for 1977’s "Annie Hall," which also won best picture.

 

Hachette Book Group is a unit of Lagardere SCA.

 

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-07

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[Proboscis]

I am all for using the full extent of the law to nail any perpetrator who engages in rape, and especially if the victim is a child.

 

But let us just step back from the shouty social media for a moment and look at the case. The allegation was reported to the authorities who found no credible case. Despite the accusation being out there in the media, no one else has reported any similar offences. Would Allen be the first pedophile who never engaged in any other behaviour leading up to child rape? Most pedophiles seem to experiment, to groom potential victims. There is no evidence of this in his case.

 

Would he be the only pedophile who committed only one offence? Pedophiles tend to have a string of offences, from collecting child porn to inappropriate touching. And they invariably don't stop at one victim. No evidence exists to show that Allen engaged in any of this kind of behaviour. Unlike Weinstein, Allen does not have the political and industry connections to cover up his tracks. If there are any additional accusers out there, why have not they come forward in the same way as the accusers of Weinstein came forward and whose accounts were published by Allen's own son?

 

I doubt that Allen is relying on the cheque from the publisher for his well-being. So preventing the publication of the book is not really going to hurt him financially. Instead, it is just going to remove from him a way of defending himself. It removes from us the ability to read what the man wants to say. It offends against the freedom to publish that is enshrined under the constitution.

 

 

[IAMHERE]

21 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Hachette Book Group

Appropriate name, they certainly are doing a hatchet job on Mr. Allen. Judged him guilty on very flimsy grounds and no proof except a very ugly divorce. I'd guess Mr. Allen should be happy these people don't have the power of the electric chair, just electric media.

[AgMech Cowboy]

He's rich enough. I didn't like his movies (the few I saw) and wouldn't read his book.