Andrew Nurnberg Associates International is to represent Raja Alem, joint winner of the 2011 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Her novel The Dove's Necklace explores the disappearing world of Mecca from the unique perspective of a female Saudi author. "Tackling powerful issues with beautiful and evocative writing, it is an astonishing and compelling story." Born in Mecca, Alem now lives in Paris, and her work includes 10 novels and two plays, as well as biography, short stories, essays and literary journalism. She is a member of English PEN International, a member of the Board of Trustees of Al-Mansouria Foundation for Culture and Creativity, Paris, a member of the House of Photographers, Jeddah, and a member of Al-Yamama news foundation.
Kirsty Dunseath at Weidenfeld & Nicolson has acquired "an absolutely stunning new literary talent", Scottish author Kenneth Macleod. The Incident is "a searing novel about fate – about those moments that change the course of a life forever" and history, from the Second World War to the present. The agent was Peter Straus at RC&W and Weidenfeld has UK/Commonwealth rights.
Craig Russell, author of the Fabel and Lennox series of thrillers, has moved from Blake Friedmann to David Higham Associates, where he will be represented by Andrew Gordon. "I'm delighted to be working with Andrew. He is a highly committed and ambitious agent and I was hugely impressed with his enthusiasm and professionalism from the outset. I'm sure we can achieve great things together. I am very grateful for the work Carole Blake has done for me and will continue to work with Blake Friedmann on existing contracts." It was Blake who discovered him in the slush pile a decade ago.
