Petinah Gappah- two book deals in one

September 11, 2008 by Virtugirl Africa ·
Filed under: I was just thinking

Petina Gappah

It always makes me happy to see Zimbos doing well wherever they are in the world. Way to go Petina for sealing this deal. Here’s wishing you so much more.

In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, Zimbabwean writer Petinah recently signed a deal that will see her books being published by two international publishers.

According to thezonet.com: << Petina Gappah, a Zimbabwean writer based in Geneva, has signed a book deal with Faber & Faber in the UK and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in the US.

“Faber’s UK and US arms have made their first joint acquisition, obtaining the world English-language rights to a collection of short stories and a novel by Zimbabwean author Petina Gappah,” writes Bookseller.com. In a posting on her blog, Petina Gappah has confirmed the news that she has secured a two-book deal with these publishers.

The first book, An Elegy for Easterly, a story collection, comes out in April 2009 in the UK and June 2009 in the US, while the second, The Book of Memory, her first novel, comes out in 2010. In addition, writes Gappah, “Mouria, Gyldendal Norsk and Bonniers, three of the classiest and most respected publishers in Europe have bought the rights to both books in The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, so the books will come out at the same time in Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish.”

“I am so thrilled, both for myself, but also for Zimbabwean and African writers,” stated Gappah in an email message. This is the first such joint deal offered to any writer by Faber-FSG.

If you have read any of Gappah’s fiction and other writings, especially her political commentary at such forums as the Guardian, Granta, Prospect, The Zimbabwe Times, you will already know her facility with language and her riveting story-telling style.

This deals comes as great news for Zimbabwe and the African continent, wonderful news for readers everywhere. For the first time readers, especially those in the United States, will be able to walk into a Borders or Barnes & Noble and find a book by a Zimbabwean author on the shelf.

Petina Gappah is a Zimbabwean writer and lawyer based in Geneva, Switzerland. She holds a doctorate from the Karl-Franz University in Graz, Austria, a Master of Laws degree from Cambridge University and a Bachelor of Laws Honours degree from the University of Zimbabwe.>>

Source: Thezonet.com and bookseller.com

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