The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas author has said his literary peers have tried to ‘cancel’ him over his views on transgender issues – but book sales have only gone up.
The famed Irish writer John Boyne, 54, came under criticism in July after publicly ‘standing behind’ JK Rowling’s gender-critical views, calling himself ‘a fellow Terf’ – a trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
The controversy continued after he was last month longlisted for an LGBT literary award, the Polari prize, for his book Earth, which prompted more than 10 out of the 34 nominees to withdraw from the running.
Over 800 writers, editors, publishers and booksellers signed a joint author statement objecting to Mr Boyne’s nomination, calling the gay writer’s views ‘abhorrent’, ‘disgusting’, ‘hurtful’ and ‘incompatible with inclusion’.
The organisers ultimately scrapped the prize and said they hoped it would return in 2026.
In a statement published before the award was shelved, Mr Boyne said his ‘views on trans rights have never changed’ and he had faced ‘endless harassment at the hands of both strangers and fellow writers’.
However the success of the hugely popular gay author has remained unfaltered as the row has not affected the sales of his novels, he said.
‘Attempts to destroy my career have always come to nothing. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I sell a lot of books and people seem to like my books.
Famed Irish writer John Boyne, 54, has said his literary peers have tried to ‘cancel’ him over his views on transgender issues – but book sales have only gone up
He came under criticism in July after publicly ‘standing behind’ JK Rowling’s gender-critical views, calling himself ‘a fellow Terf’ – a trans-exclusionary radical feminist
Mr Boyne is most known for his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which has sold over 11million copies and was adapted into an award-winning film, starring Asa Butterfield as Bruno (pictured)
‘[Book sales] just don’t go down at all. If anything, they go up. People like what I do as a writer and that’s really all I want to be known for,’ he told The Sunday Times.
Backing Mr Boyne, JK Rowling said of the pulled prize: ‘This makes me both sad and angry. An incredibly talented writer and a thoroughly decent human being (the two are by no means synonymous, as we know) traduced by tinpot tyrants without an ounce of his talent or integrity.’
University College Dublin’s Literary and Historical Society had also offered Mr Boyne the James Joyce award and an honorary fellowship, praising his ’empathy’, ‘justice’ and ‘authenticity’.
But amid the controversy it was then rescinded over unspecified ‘legal threats’.
The author criticised a ‘schoolyard’ culture in the creative industry.
In an article for The Telegraph, Mr Boyne said the incident had made him consider ‘putting my pen down and doing something else with my life’.
Scrutiny over his gender-critical views has followed him for years, as his 2019 novel My Brother’s name is Jessica was branded transphobic.
He explained he has been ‘the focus of an extraordinary amount of bullying and intimidation’ since the release of the novel.
He said the people peddling the vitriol toward him were not only trans activists, but also ‘a small group of toxic novelists’.
Scrutiny over his gender-critical views has followed him for years, as his 2019 novel My Brother’s name is Jessica was branded transphobic
He was last month longlisted for an LGBT literary award, the Polari prize, for his book Earth, which prompted more than 10 out of the 34 nominees to withdraw from the running
The organisers ultimately scrapped the prize and said they hoped it would return in 2026
He added: ‘My views on trans rights have never changed and they’re quite simple: All human beings should have the same rights, but if the rights of trans women come into conflict with the rights of what you call ‘cis’ women, then the latter must take precedence.’
He says this schoolyard culture also saw producers turn their backs on the Father Ted co-creator Graham Lineham who was arrested for posting gender-critical views online.
In the early stages of his career and even now, the renowned author would never have had the ‘arrogance’ to attack someone publicly for their opinion, he said.
Mr Boyne added that young writers should take a moment before jumping on the court of public opinion.
However he thanked his readers for their ‘enormous’ support despite all the backlash, which has kept him from strength to strength throughout his 33-year career.
His new series The Elements comes out on September 25. It explores themes of guilt, blame, trauma, and redemption – following fictional footballer and former male escort Evan Keogh who is on trial for his alleged involvement in a sexual assault alongside his teammate.
Mr Boyne is most known for his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which has sold over 11million copies and was adapted into an award-winning film.
He is in Paris today for the Prix du Roman award, as the sole non-French author on the shortlist for The Elements.
