AST Publishing censored the Russian edition of ‘Mémoires de la Forêt’ without the author’s consent

French author Mickaël Brun-Arnaud has publicly denounced AST Publishing, a subsidiary of EKSMO, for making unauthorized modifications to the Russian edition of his novel “Mémoires de la Forêt – Les Carnets de Cornelius Renard.” AST Publishing removed all references to a same-sex romance between two of its characters. École des Loisirs, the book’s French publisher, is now working to revoke its publishing rights in Russia.

Being known as an LGBTQ+ advocate, Brun-Arnaud emphasized that, considering his identity, the man to whom he dedicated his books, and the values he promoted in his writing, it should be evident that he was unaware of these changes and never would have approved them.

The author explained that he was not naive and was initially surprised when he received the offer to sell the rights. However, he stated that “the publisher assured us of their desire to be brave, to publish this text, and to resist in their own way. So, I agreed that the heroes of my forest would join the fight for a better world.”

Brun-Arnaud noted that the rewritten text introduced an entirely different and disturbing narrative, suggesting an incestuous relationship between two siblings from the original version. He also described the modifications as “abhorrent, illegal, and degrading.”

The author explained that he had initially agreed to the Russian publication after being assured by the publisher that the book would be published as intended, with the hope of spreading messages of kindness and diversity where they are often repressed.

At Chytomo’s request, the Ukrainian translator of the book, Mia Marchenko, and Nasha Idea Publishing provided a table comparing the original with the Russian version. 

As reported earlier, AST regularly publishes books containing anti-Ukrainian propaganda, with 46 of its publications included in the Registry of Books that Promote Russian Aggression Against Ukraine. 

In January 2025, EKSMO removed “The Children of Irena” by Tilar J. Mazzeo from sale because it mentioned war crimes committed by Red Army soldiers, including sexual violence against women. 

EKSMO-AST is a holding company owned by Oleg Novikov, a Russian billionaire who was awarded the title of “Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation” by Putin. He is also the president of the “Russian Textbook” corporation and a member of the Presidium of the Russian Book Union.

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Copy editing: Ben Angel