UK: After receiving a slew of online complaints from Ukrainian commenters, English publisher Arabella Pike has criticised the withdrawal from publication of an American author Elizabeth Gilbert book set in 1930s Soviet Russia.

The Snow Forest, a book by Gilbert that takes place in Siberia in the twentieth century, was scheduled to be published by Penguin Random House in February 2024. But last week, the author claimed in an Instagram video that she had "received an enormous, massive outpouring of reactions and responses from my Ukrainian readers."

The backlash, she claimed, had persuaded her that "it is not the time for this book to be published"—especially one "that is set in Russia."

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English publisher Arabella Pike, however, criticised Gilbert's decision to halt publication in an opinion piece published in The Sunday Times, saying that it amounts to little more than self-censorship.

According to Pike, "Gilbert's right to decide whether or when to publish her own work must be respected." But her choice appears to be a dramatic overreaction - a mismatch between sentimentality and a political stance. Gilbert's action, according to Pike, creates a "worrying precedent" that might give opponents of free speech more confidence.

Author of "Eat, Pray, Love" cancels book release due to pro-Ukrainian response Learn more. Author of "Eat, Pray, Love" cancels book release due to pro-Ukrainian response
Her decision to pull the book won't help even one Ukrainian, according to Pike. "The fact that Gilbert herself withdrew the book does not make this any less censorship," Gilbert said.

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Gilbert, according to Pike, is in a somewhat privileged position as a result of the commercial success of her first book, "Eat, Pray, Love," so she is not financially reliant on the release of her most recent book.

"Others," Pike notes, "are not so fortunate."

Pike, the director of publishing at William Collins Books, also claims that over the past three years, she has spent a significant amount of time fending off legal challenges from prominent Russian figures who took issue with how they were portrayed in Catherine Belton's book, "Putin's People."

As a result, Pike claims she views Gilbert's decision to halt publication of "The Snow Forest" as "something of a body blow" in light of her consistent stance in favour of an author's right to publish regardless of negative feedback from others.

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The fictional Russian family in "The Snow Forest" relocates to Siberia in the 1930s to escape the country's escalating industrialization. Anyone who pre-ordered the book will receive a refund, according to Gilbert. She may or may not decide to publish the book.