2022 was filled with great new books by authors represented by the Pontas Agency. As the year comes to an end, before we get ready for everything that 2023 will bring, we want to look back and go over some books that were published in their original language to great acclaim in the last months of the year.
December recently brought the publication in English worldwide of Scatterlings, the debut novel by South-African author Rešoketšwe Manenzhe. The novel swept the awards circuit in South Africa when it was first published in 2020, and now reaches readers worldwide two years later, with HarperVia. The book had gained a lot of buzz ahead of publication and it has already garnered praise from outlets like The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Washington Post. The novel is set in 1920s Cape Town, when the Immorality Act is passed, and traces the effects of this devastating political development in Abram and Alisa’s marriage, a white man and a black woman who have two children and a comfortable life in South Africa. Translation rights have been sold into four languages so far, with many still available, as well as audiovisual rights.
November proved itself to be the month of the thriller, with two highly awaited genre releases hitting bookstores to great acclaim.
In Spain, Dolores Redondo published Waiting for the Flood (Esperando al diluvio), a novel inspired by the true story of serial killer Bible John. The novel is set between Glasgow and Bilbao in the 1980s and follows detective Noah Scott Sherrington as he hunts for Bible John all the way to Bilbao, as a flood threatens the city in the days to come. The novel’s publication has been backed by one of the biggest media campaigns we’ve ever seen, and translation rights have been sold to nine languages so far and counting. Waiting for the Flood skyrocketed to the top of the fiction bestseller lists in Spanish (and also in its Catalan translation) as soon as it was published and has held the top spot since.
In Mexico, the author of The Black Jersey, Jorge Zepeda Patterson, published Penélope’s Dilemma (El dilema de Penélope) with Planeta. The book is set to be launched in Spain in 2023. The powerful thriller is set in Los Angeles and denounces corruption and the rise of racism in a world dominated by social media, fake news, and extremism. Danish rights were sold to DreamLitt, and Portuguese rights for Portugal and Brazil are with Planeta.
In October, Janice Pariat’s new novel was released worldwide, simultaneously published in the UK (with Borough Press), North America (with HarperVia), and the author’s home country of India (with Fourth Estate/Harper Collins). Everything the Light Touches is an ambitious, multi-layered work, interweaves four different characters across continents and centuries. Italian rights to the novel were sold to Salani, in a pre-empt, and Russian rights were sold to Eksmo. All other translation rights are available.
Also in October, Oliver Truc published his most recent thriller, The Dark Paths of Karachi (Les sentiers obscurs de Karachi), set between France and Pakistan, with Éditions Metailié in its original French. The book immediately received great acclaim from outlets such as Télérama and Livres Hebdo. All translation and audiovisual rights are currently available.
Around the same time, Ferran Guallar, a Catalan author, published his debut novel The Wild Within (La Part Salvatge) with Empúries. The Wild Within is a thought-provoking novel that connects with current and universal concerns like power, environmentalism, gender, and the battle for African resources. It was simultaneously published in Spanish with Navona, and French rights were recently sold to Éditions Gallmeister. A full English translation is available for reading, and World English rights are on offer.
Although not new, The Selfless Act of Breathing by JJ Bola did get a fresh makeover in October, with the UK paperback edition being released by Dialogue Books, a year later after its hardcover release. The novel will also be available in paperback in North America in February 2023. Rights to this novel has been sold into six languages so far, with many still available.
Last but not least, to start off the reentrée season in September, The Maker of Memories (El fabricant de records) by Martí Gironell hit bookstores (published by Columna) after winning the Prudenci Bertrana Award, one of the most prestigious prizes for Catalan literature. The book has been at the top of the bestseller lists in Catalan since day 1 and was also published translated into Spanish with Destino. An English sample is available for reading.
Susana Fortes also had a new book out in September, Nothing to lose (Nada que perder), with Planeta. This psychological thriller set in a small Galician village will also be published in Italian with Astoria. Audiovisual rights have been sold to an important Spanish producer, to be announced soon.
For more information about any of the above titles, please contact Anna Soler-Pont (anna@pontas-agency.com).