Turkish Novel Picks Up English Language Sale
English rights for Istanbul, Istanbul by Burhan Sönmez (author of North and Sins & Innocents) sold to John Oakes at OR Books. Originally published in Turkey in March by İletişim, the novel is about four prisoners in a Turkish torture center who tell each other stories about Istanbul to pass the time. Oakes, in describing the book, called it "not so much a politically-charged novel, as a humanistically-charged one." Rights are controlled by the Turkey-based shingle, Kalem Agency.
'Bear' Author Sells New Novel in the States
The new book by Claire Cameron, author of The Bear, has sold to Laura Tisdel at Little, Brown for publication in January, 2017. The Last Neanderthal follows the final year of the last family of Neanderthals, up until they meet Homo sapiens. The Bear sold in eight territories, and Canadian rights to Last Neanderthal have sold to Penguin Random House Canada (in a two book deal). Both the U.S. and Canadian were brokered by Toronto-based agent Denise Bukowski at the Bukowski Agency.
Salazar's 'Blood' to Hit North American Shores
Claudia Salazar's Blood of the Dawn, initially released in Peru in 2013 by Animal de Invierno, has been acquired in an English rights deal. Represented by Barcelona-based Pontas Agency, the book has sold to Deep Vellum Publishing, which nabbed North American rights. (Deep Vellum, which is based in Dallas, specializes in literature in translation.) The novel follows the fates of three women in the country from 1980-1992. Salazar won the Americas Narrative Prize (funded by the Plaza Las Americas foundation), worth $25,000, for the novel.
Scandinavian Thriller Goes In Pre-empts
In our last column we reported on The Evil Book by Finland-Swedish author Kaj Korkea-aho. The novel, about a young man who finds an old manuscript that supposedly has the power to send its readers to hell, continues to pick up foreign sales; Danish rights have now been preempted by Art People/ People's Press, and German rights have been preempted by Bastei Lübbe. Rights are controlled by Otava Group Agency, which has made available a 55-page English language sample.
Finnish Picture Book Sells in Germany
The Mercurial Mouse by author-illustrator Riikka Jäntti, which was released in Finland earlier this year by Tammi, has sold to Eulenspiegel in Germany. Rights are controlled by Elina Ahlback of the Elina Ahlback Literary Agency; she explained that the book is about a young mouse and his mother. Ahlback also noted that a sequel is planned.
