Woody Allen's memoir 'Apropos of Nothing' hits the market - Los Angeles Times
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Woody Allen’s memoir is released suddenly by a new publisher

Arcade Publishing released Woody Allen's memoir "Apropos of Nothing" on Monday.
(Evan Agostini / Associated Press)
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Woody Allen’s memoir has found a new home.

After Hachette Book Group canceled its release of “Apropos of Nothing” because of widespread protests this month, Allen’s memoir was put out Monday by the independent press Arcade Publishing, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing.

“The book is a candid and comprehensive personal account by Woody Allen of his life, 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,” Arcade announced.

Financial details for the 400-page book were not revealed, said the AP, which was first to report the release news.

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“I think it was inevitable that this book was going to be published,” said a Hachette employee who asked to remain anonymous, “especially after the hubbub with Hachette saying it was going to publish it, Ronan [Farrow] coming out and criticizing them, and employees saying they were uncomfortable with its publication.

“I don’t think he deserves to have this platform. He can say what he wants, but we don’t need to listen to him.”

The memoir starts off nostalgic, with Allen detailing his upbringing in New York City and his romantic affairs with Hollywood actresses. But it grows defensive as he writes about his relationship with Mia Farrow and accusations that he molested their daughter Dylan Farrow when she was a child, which he calls a “fabrication” in the memoir.

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Toward the book’s end, Allen writes about how difficult it was to cast his film after 2019’s “A Rainy Day in New York,” which was not released in the U.S.

“One after the other, actors and actresses refused to work with me. Some I’m sure sincerely believed I was a predator. (I still can’t figure out how they could be so utterly convinced). Clearly, a number of actors thought they were doing a noble thing rejecting offers to appear in my film,” he writes. “Their gesture might’ve been meaningful if indeed I were guilty of something, but since I was not, they were just persecuting an innocent man and helping to confirm Dylan’s implanted memory. Unwittingly, they had become Mia’s enablers.”

Mia, Ronan and Dylan Farrow did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

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Hachette dropped Allen’s autobiography this month, just days after announcing an April 7 publication date. Publishing staff from Little, Brown and Co.; Orbit; Basic and other Hachette imprints staged a walkout March 5 in protest of the book and in support of vocal critics Dylan Farrow and Ronan Farrow.

“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,” Arcade editor Jeannette Seaver told AP in a statement.

Dylan, Allen’s adopted daughter, has alleged for years that he molested her as a child, an accusation he has repeatedly denied. Allen’s son and #MeToo journalist Ronan Farrow denounced Hachette shortly after it revealed it was publishing “Apropos of Nothing.” Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book, “Catch and Kill,” was published by Hachette imprint Little, Brown and Co.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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