Last month, Spokane writer Sherry Jones was in despair. Random House had yanked her novel, “Jewel of Medina,” on the eve of publication for fear its subject matter - it's about one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives - would inflame deadly violence by those who might see it as blasphemous.
Since then, though, several foreign publishers have bought the rights to “Jewel of Medina,” and on Thursday, a British publisher announced it will print the book in English next month.
Jones, a former Missoulian writer, said a U.S. publisher has also picked up the book.
“They're getting their publicity and marketing ducks in a row. I believe they're planning an announcement on Monday,” she said.
For a while, it looked like the book might never be published in English on either side of the Atlantic after Random House halted publication, saying Jones' historical novel about A'isha, the youngest of Muhammad's 12 wives and concubines, “could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment.”
When a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in 2005, Danish embassies around the world were attacked and dozens of protesters were killed. In 1988, writer Salman Rushdie had to go into hiding for several years after publication of “The Satanic Verses,” a novel dealing in part with the life of Muhammad. Three of the novel's translators were assaulted, one fatally.
However, Random House's decision incited protests of a different sort. Rushdie, whose books are published in the United States by Random House, called it “censorship by fear” and said the action “sets a very bad precedent indeed.” Newspapers, especially in Great Britain, where Rushdie lives, castigated the move.
Martin Rynja, of the British publisher Gibson Square, wrote in an e-mail that after reading about Random House's actions, “I immediately felt it was imperative to publish it. In an open society, there has to be open access to literary works, regardless of fear.”
Gibson Square has also published “Blowing up Russia: The Secret Plot to Bring Back KGB Terror” by Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian intelligence operative who died mysteriously of radioactive poisoning in 2006. And it published Craig Unger's “House of Bush House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties,” after it was canceled by its original publisher, which cited concerns over British libel laws.
Jones called the hullabaloo over her own book “a blessing in disguise.”
“If my book had been published by Random House, it would have been a bestseller,” she said. Random House paid her $100,000 for “Jewel of Medina” and a sequel, and had scheduled an eight-city book tour, plums for a debut novelist.
But, she said, “this whole controversy has elevated the discussion beyond my book. ... The discussion is now centering on freedom of speech and censorship issues, it's centering on women and Islam, it's centering on the desires of moderate Muslims, and inspiring moderate Muslims to speak out and demand their voices be heard. ... To me, that's very gratifying.”
In addition to Gibson Square, publishers in eight other countries - including Spain, Italy and Germany - have also bought the rights to “Jewel of Medina.”
Never in the roller-coaster of the past several weeks, said Jones, has she felt truly afraid.
“I've been tempted to feel fear. I did have some pretty strong messages of hate, both from Muslims and anti-Muslims. I've been called everything from an Islamo-panderer to a sugar-coater of pedophilia.” (A'isha was a child when betrothed to Muhammad.)
When she does feel nervous, Jones said, “I know this sounds weird, but I engage in a spiritual conversation with A'isha. I pray for strength and wisdom and courage and love ... because for me, A'isha embodies all of those qualities.”
Missoulian city editor Gwen Florio can be reached at (406) 523-5268, or gwen.florio@missoulian.com.
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