Memoir by Italian Doctor Sells in Auctions
Tears of Salt by Dr. Pietro Bartolo , a memoir about the Italian doctor’s experience providing medical care to migrants, has now sold in multiple auctions. Mondadori (Italy) controls rights and published the title, which is written with Lidia Tilotta, this month. Foreign sales have, to date, closed with Surkamp (Germany), Lattes (France), and Objectiva/ Penguin Random House (Portugal). Bartolo is based in Lampedusa and has provided assistance to those harmed by starvation and conflict. He is also featured in the Italian documentary Fuocoammare.

Finnish Thriller Travels to Germany
The debut thriller The Angels of Hammurabi by Max Seeck has sold to German house Blanvalet at auction. Released in Finland by Tammi in August, the book is slated to be published in Germany in spring/summer 2018. The book is about a missing embassy official, and is set in Croatia and Helsinki; Tammi is planning to publish a sequel as well. Elina Ahlback of Elina Ahlback Literary Agency controls rights to the novel.

Lauded French Novel Heating Up Abroad
Leila Slimani's Chanson Douce, published in France by Gallimard in August, has sold in a flurry of recent international sales. Deals have closed with, among other houses, Rizzoli (Italy), Luchterhand (Germany), and Cabaret Voltaire (world Spanish). The book is about a nanny who kills the two children she was hired to watch. Slimani, who was born in Morocco and came to France to study, currently lives in Paris. According to Gallimard the novel, to which it controls all rights, has sold over 46,000 copies to date. It is also on the selection lists for a number of major French literary prizes, including the Prix Goncourt.

Italian Historical Trilogy Collects Foreign Sales
The historical trilogy I Medici by Matteo Strukul, about the Medici dynasty of Florence, has just been acquired in Italy by Newton Compton. The publisher, which controls all rights to the series, plans to publish one book per month, starting in October. Foreign deals for the series have closed quickly, with several international publishers snatching up rights to the books. To date, deals have been closed with Goldmann (Germany) and Head of Zeus (UK).