W.W. Norton’s Liveright and Co. imprint has acquired the rights to Jerusalem, the massive, long-awaited novel by acclaimed comics writer Alan Moore, author of such bestselling graphic novel classics as From Hell and Watchmen.
A spokesperson for Liveright said it’s “likely” the book will be published in fall 2016, but acknowledged that the date “is not firm.” The book was acquired by Liveright’s William Menaker in a deal for U.S. and Canadian rights brokered by the Lora Fountain Agency. Lora Fountain handled the deal on behalf of British comics publisher Knockabout, which will publish Jerusalem in the U.K.
More than 20 years in the making, Jerusalem is Moore’s second novel—it is not a graphic novel—and, over the years, has achieved an almost legendary status. Moore has said that the book will ultimately clock in at over 1 million words; War and Peace, in comparison, is about 560,000. Last fall Moore announced that he had finally completed the first draft of the novel.
Jerusalem is centered around Moore’s hometown of Northhampton England and tackles a dizzying array of subjects, including the nature of time and death. It also features a wild collection of historical figures, from Oliver Cromwell to James Joyce’s daughter to Buffalo Bill.
