British superstar chef Jamie Oliver has apologised and withdrawn a youngsters’s e book he wrote after it was criticised for inflicting offence to Indigenous Australians.
The Australian sub-plot in Oliver’s fantasy novel Billy and the Epic Escape was criticised for being damaging and disrespectful, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
It stated the Nationwide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Training Company (NATSIEC) had criticised the e book, for contributing to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”.
The e book features a plotline during which a First Nations woman residing in foster care close to Alice Springs is kidnapped by the e book’s villain.
In a press release, Oliver, 49, stated: “I’m devastated to have brought about offence and apologise wholeheartedly.
“It was by no means my intention to misread this deeply painful concern. Along with my publishers we now have determined to withdraw the e book from sale.”
Jamie Oliver has conceded no session with any Indigenous organisation, group or individuals came about earlier than the e book was revealed. Supply: AAP / Nikki Brief
Oliver and Penguin Random Home UK conceded that no session with any Indigenous organisation, group or particular person came about earlier than the e book was revealed.
A spokesperson for writer Penguin Random Home stated: “Our mission at Penguin Random Home UK is to make books for everybody and with that dedication comes a deep sense of duty.
“It’s clear that our publishing requirements fell brief on this event, and we should study from that and take decisive motion.
“With that in thoughts, we now have agreed with our creator, Jamie Oliver, that we are going to be withdrawing the e book from sale.”
Penguin Random Home, the e book’s writer, stated in a press release it was clear that that they had fallen in need of their requirements. Supply: AAP / Tim Eire/PA/Alamy
Superstar cook dinner Oliver rose to prominence within the late Nineteen Nineties, changing into generally known as the Bare Chef after his 1999 e book and TV collection of the identical identify.
Since then, he has hosted a number of TV collection. He launched his first youngsters’s e book final 12 months.
