HarperCollins bags rights to publish Sonia memoir in India

Under controversy after a publishing deal with Penguin India fell through, reportedly over some parts the publisher wanted deleted, which the author rejected, the deal went to HarperCollins. When contacted, HarperCollins refused to comment on whether the parts Penguin wanted out will be included in the India version, but a source confirmed that since the author is on board, the content is in consonance with her wishes. They also said the book is under embargo till its release, and any details regarding its contents or any differences between the India and global versions will be known only then.

Internationally, Alfred A Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, is the publisher of the book, and a source confirmed to FE that the book is going ahead with its global release as scheduled, on November 10. Penguin Random House India had also announced to release Belonging on November 10, with an initial print run for a lakh copies.

The memoir is supposed to be a deeply personal account of Sonia Gandhi’s life and journey as Rajiv Gandhi’s wife, a politician and Congress leader. However, PHRI reportedly objected to some parts from the book concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India under his 12-year rule, the RSS, and Gandhi’s account of communal divides, riots and the plight of minorities. Parleys between the publisher and representatives of the author continued for a couple months, but ultimately the deal fell through.

On August 31, Penguin Random House India released a statement categorically denying any external pressure on the contents of the book, saying: “Since the content of the book is confidential and under embargo, there was no external pressure whatsoever. During our discussions with the author’s representatives, several points were raised and deliberated upon. On some, they agreed to changes and on others, we accepted the author’s position. Unfortunately, and ultimately, an understanding could not be reached on a particular issue. It was then that the author’s team informed us that they did not wish to proceed and we respected their decision.”

As per a statement from HarperCollins on Friday, the dramatic account will give readers a “unique lens on India – its tumultuous post-independence history and its present political struggles – offering an insider’s keen perspective on the country’s enormous political, economic and social changes over fifty years”. The publisher says most revelatory will be the “portrait of Sonia herself as she invites readers into her private joys and travails, as well as the people and events that shaped her”. The book traces her childhood in post-war Veneto, the romance that brought her to India, her introduction to her formidable mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, the tragedy of Rajiv’s assassination, and Sonia Gandhi’s reluctant entry into politics and her political journey thereafter.