Woody Allen to publish memoirs in early April

The American publisher Grand Central Publishing announced Monday the release for April 7 of the memoirs of Woody Allen, entitled "About About Nothing" (literally: about nothing). It was previously unknown that this subsidiary of the French group Hachette had acquired the rights, other publishers having refused the manuscript. The publisher presents this book as "a comprehensive account of the life of Woody Allen, both personal and professional."

The news angered Ronan Farrow, son of Woody Allen, who had long distanced himself from his father. The lawyer and journalist sent the director general of the publishing house, Michael Pietsch, an email noting that "Hachette has not carried out checks as to the content of this book". The New York Times obtained a copy of this letter and reveals the contents.

In question, the accusations of sexual abuse which weigh on the New York director, launched in 1992 by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, then 7 years old, and who have caught up with him since the start of the #MeToo movement in October 2017 .

The publication of the book "demonstrates a lack of ethics and compassion for victims of sexual assault," said Ronan Farrow. He then claims that the publisher did not contact his sister Dylan to compare his version with that of his adoptive father and sees in it “a mad lack of professionalism”.

Ronan Farrow, son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, notably revealed the Weinstein / LP / Philippe Lavieille case.

After two separate, multi-month investigations in the 1990s, the Connecticut attorney in charge of the case decided not to charge Woody Allen. He had nonetheless publicly stated that he still suspected it but had given up to save Dylan from the trauma of a show trial. In early 2018, supported by his adoptive mother Mia Farrow and his brother, Dylan Farrow renewed his accusations, which Woody Allen has always refuted.

In October, Ronan Farrow published his second book, "Catch and Kill," in which he traces his investigative work to uncover the harassment and sexual assault charges against producer Harvey Weinstein. A successful publication, the book is published by Little, Brown and Company, a Hachette subsidiary and translated into French by Calmann-Lévy under the title "Les Faire Taire".

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Woody Allen's son announces that he will change publisher because of the publication of his father's memoirs. "Disappointed" to have learned from the press about this upcoming publication, Ronan Farrow explains that he could "not work with an editor who would behave like this". Contacted by AFP, Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Book Group did not act immediately.