At the Pontas Agency we are utterly excited seeing Avni Doshi's debut novel Burnt Sugar among one of the six novels to make it onto The 2020 Booker Prize Shortlist! Congratulations, Avni!
We must extend our congratulations to everyone who's been right alongside Avni since the beginning, including her Indian editor Rahul Soni, her UK editor Hermione Thompson, her publicist Chloe Davis and everyone in the Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Random House and HarperCollins India teams.
Rahim Sameer, one of The Booker Prize judges, said: ‘Burnt Sugar explores the complex relationship between a mother and daughter in contemporary India. Precisely written, and told from a resolutely unsentimental perspective, Avni Doshi’s novel explores what happens when a difficult mother starts to fade into illness. As the title indicates, this is a novel that often leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. That is a deliberate and often bracing effect: the author bravely pushes the limits of the reader’s sympathy. It is a compelling book, beautifully written and with startling imagery—emotionally wrenching and poignant in equal measure.’
Translation rights have already been sold into 14 languages so far and counting! And audiovisual rights are under negotiation.
On Monday, October 5th, at 12.30pm CEST, we’re organizing an open live webinar ahead of this year’s virtual Frankurt Book Fair with Avni Doshi and her editor Hermione Thompson. RSVP is a must: get the invitation by sending an email to Cristina Verrienti.
For more information, please get in touch with Maria Cardona.