(NEW YORK) — Woody Allen’s memoir, dropped by its original publisher after widespread criticism, has found a new home, The Associated Press has learned.
The 400-page book, still called Apropos of Nothing, was released Monday by Arcade Publishing.
“The book is a candid and comprehensive personal account by Woody Allen of his life,” Arcade announced, “ranging from his childhood in Brooklyn through his acclaimed career in film, theater, television, print and standup comedy, as well as exploring his relationships with family and friends.”
With little advance notice, the 84-year-old filmmaker’s book arrives at a time when much of the world is otherwise preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic. Arcade is an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing; a Skyhorse spokeswoman said no decisions had been made on whether he would give any interviews. Financial details for his deal with Arcade were not released and the spokeswoman had no immediate comment on whether the book would come out in Europe, where publishers in several countries have expressed interest.
Read more: Woody Allen’s Publisher Cancels His Memoir 4 Days After Announcing It
The initial announcement of Apropos of Nothing came earlier this month, when Grand Central Publishing confirmed to The Associated Press that it would release his book April 7. But the news was met with quick and growing outrage, centered on allegations that Allen abused his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.
Ronan Farrow, who shared the Pulitzer Prize with the New York Times for his New Yorker investigation into Harvey Weinstein, was enraged to learn that Allen’s book was being published by the same parent company that had released his Catch and Kill. The acclaimed book further delved into the MeToo movement. Dozens of Hachette employees staged a walkout over the Allen book and Farrow, who had been working on Catch and Kill at the time Machete acquired Allen’s memoir, said he would stop working with the publisher.
Hachette canceled the release less than a week later, although Stephen King was among those questioning the decision as an infringement of free speech, writing on Twitter: “It’s who gets muzzled next that worries me.”
In a postscript to the Arcade edition, Allen alleges that Hachette had vowed to publish Apropos of Nothing despite his “being a toxic pariah and menace to society.” But, he writes, “When actual flak did arrive they thoughtfully reassessed their position” and ”dumped the book like it was a hunk of Xenon 135.”
Arcade editor Jeannette Seaver said in a statement: “In this strange time, when truth is too often dismissed as ‘fake news,’ we as publishers prefer to give voice to a respected artist, rather than bow to those determined to silence him.”
Skyhorse is a prolific, diverse and sometimes provocative company which has a catalogue including books by everyone from Samuel Beckett and Octavio Paz to JFK conspiracy theorist Jim Garrison and Alan Dershowitz, the attorney, commentator and frequent defender of President Donald Trump who has his own history with Allen. In the 1990s, when Allen and Farrow were fighting over custody of their children, Dershowitz denied allegations by Allen that the attorney had asked him, on behalf of Farrow, for millions of dollars in exchange for the actress dropping allegations that he abused Dylan.
