Italian Family Saga Sells in Several Territories
The first volume of a multi-tome epic that Italian publisher Nord will release in April 2019 has just sold in Spain and Germany. The first volume of The Florios: Sicily's Lions, by Stefania Auci, follows a fictional Sicilian family, from the 1800s through the 1930s, who began as spice sellers and rose to wealth. The second volume of the saga will be published in Italy in early 2020. Rights are controlled by the publisher, and deals have been made with Grijalbo/PRH in Spain and Goldmann in Germany.
Catalan Novel Finds French Buyer
Eva Baltasar's debut novel Permagel, which is written in Catalan and was originally published by Club Editor in March, has sold to Editions Verdier for French rights. Salmaia Lit controls all rights to the novel, which is about a suicidal young lesbian dealing with a controlling mother. Baltasar has written several poetry books, and this is her first novel.
Rediscovered Italian Backlist Novel Sparks Interest
Birth and Death of the Housewife by Paola Masino, an Italian novel first published in 1945, is being re-released this August by French publisher Editions de la Martinière Littérature, which acquired world rights (excluding English) directly from the heirs of the author. (The house's forthcoming edition will mark the first French translation of the title.) An Italian auction is currently underway, and world English rights were sold to the State University of New York Press. The book follows a woman who realizes she must conform to society's expectations, and is a critique of marriage; it was censored by Fascist forces when it was originally published. The 2 Seas Literary controls rights to the book, on behalf of Editions de la Martinière Littérature.
