Swedish Historical '1947' Spurs Flurry of Preempts
Scheduled to be published in Sweden by Natur & Kultur in fall 2016, the narrative nonfiction title 1947. Where Now Begins by Elisabeth Åsbrink has been preempted in Germany by Arche and in Denmark by People's Press. The book explores the significance of the titular year in shaping today's political climate, and tracks events like the establishment of the CIA and the birth of Jihadism. Sweden's Partners in Stories Literary Agency controls all rights. Åsbrink is a journalist and author of the nonfiction book The Pain Point, published in Sweden in 2009.
Dutch Plane Crash Survivor Creates 'Turbulence'
There are offers in from publishers in France and Germany for Turbulence: A True Story of Survival by Annette Herfkens. After surviving a plane crash that claimed her fiance's life, the Dutch author went on to endure eight days in the jungle of Vietnam. Presumed dead, her obituary made it into local newspapers. Self-published in the U.S. last year, the book is being sold by the 2 Seas Agency, which is handling world rights on behalf of Meulenhoff-Boekerij in the Netherlands. Rights have sold in Vietnam.
Salomonsson-Repped Spy Series Draws Buyers
Thomas Engström's series the Ludwig Licht Quartet, which is represented by Sweden's Salomonsson Agency, has sold in a string of recent deals to houses in the Netherlands, Greece, Czech Republic and Poland. The series, which will be published in the author's native Sweden by Albert Bonniers, follows Ludwig Licht, a CIA spy and former Stasi agent currently working as a bartender. The first book in the series, West of Liberty, was awarded the Debutant of the Year prize by the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers. An offer on the series has also come in from a publisher in Germany.
Photog's Second Novel Goes Int'l
Austrian-born photographer Valerie Fritsch is drawing international interest with her sophomore novel, Winter's Garden. Published by German house Suhrkamp Verlag in March, the book has recently sold to houses in the Netherlands and Spain. Suhrkamp controls all rights to the book. Divided into three parts, Winter's Garden follows the life of Anton Winter, and begins by chronicling his early years as part of a large family in a countryside farmhouse. The second part of the novel shifts to Anton's urban existence in a world on the verge of apocalypse. Amid his grim surroundings, Anton finds hope in the form of a woman, who becomes his first love. The third section of the book focuses on Anton struggling to survive with his new family. Suhrkamp described the novel as "highly descriptive and notable for its sparing use of dialogue."
French Companion Novels Find Home in Germany
In a two-book deal, Ullstein in Germany has acquired rights to French writer Adela Bréau's Grown Up Girls Cope and its sequel, Big Boys' Games. Girls was originally published by France's JC Lattes last month; Boys will be released by the house in June. Lattes controls all rights to the books. Girls follows four female friends who live in Paris, juggling pressures created by their careers and families. Boys is about the men connected to these women, and explores their ups and downs.
