‘Over the years, I have done things that have harmed other people, including those I love most deeply’

The prominent writer Sherman Alexie has admitted causing “harm” to others and apologized to those he “hurt” in a statement released amid anonymous sexual harassment allegations.

Alexie, a US author known for his semi-autobiographical novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, said in a statement Wednesday: “Over the years, I have done things that have harmed other people, including those I love most deeply. To those whom I have hurt, I genuinely apologize. I am so sorry.”

There have been no specific public allegations against the Seattle-based writer, but some literary figures and associates have been denouncing him in recent days, claiming that accusations will soon surface. Pressure on Alexie spread last week after the Seattle author Litsa Dremousis began tweeting about him, alleging she had been in contact with numerous women and referencing claims of sexual harassment, unwanted advances and threats.

Alexie’s statement, first released to the Seattle Times, said he had “no recollection of physically or verbally threatening anybody or their careers” and that he “rejects the accusations, insinuations, and outright falsehoods” of Dremousis.

Dremousis has said she and Alexie were close friends for 15 years and that she ended their relationship after she learned of allegations against him and confronted him last year. Alexie and Dremousis have both acknowledged that they also previously had a consensual affair.

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Alexie said Dremousis’s comments were “based on rumors and hearsay”, but added: “There are women telling the truth about my behavior.” He continued: “I have made poor decisions and I am working hard to become a healthier man who makes healthier decisions.”

In an interview on Saturday, before Alexie released his statement, Dremousis told the Guardian that it had been heartbreaking and overwhelming for her to hear women’s claims.

“He was hiding in plain sight the whole time. It’s both sickening and infuriating,” said Dremousis, who has not accused Alexie of sexually harassing her. “It feels like a friend has died.”

She noted that Alexie, who has won a National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner award, has often publicly discussed the fact that a majority of his readers are women: “It’s egregious and really self-destructive.”

She added: “‘Manipulative’ is the word so many women have used.”

Alexie – who has written about growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation in eastern Washington state and last year published his memoir You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – is already facing fallout from the allegations.

The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe said it was renaming its Sherman Alexie Scholarship. Duende, a Washington DC bookstore, said it was no longer selling his books. Debbie Reese, a former professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois, wrote on her blog that she had removed him from the site’s photo gallery and would be editing out references to him in 11 years’ worth of posts.

Alexie is the latest prominent figure to face scrutiny amid the #MeToo movement, which has shed light on sexual harassment and assault in entertainment, media and the publishing industry.