Writer Sven Axelrad’s next two novels to Penguin Random House SA

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After the success of his debut, BURIED TREASURE, Sven Axelrad’s next two novels will be published in South Africa by Penguin Random House.

PRH SA will lead with GOD’S POCKET in May 2024, a story of a young man who moves into an abandoned cabin at the bottom of a quarry (God’s Pocket) to write his first novel, a novel he believes will change his life and save him from having to study accountancy. The quarry, however, isn’t quite as abandoned as it seems.

The delightful GOD’S POCKET is not a sequel to BURIED TREASURE but it does take place in the same fictitious town of Vivo and is narrated in the same darkly humorous and wise voice fans of BURIED TREASURE have come to love. This time, instead of a cemetery and a dog misnamed God, the book offers a fantastic cast of characters, including a fortune teller and her Yorkshire terrier, Johnny Cash and even Henry David Thoreau. GOD’S POCKET considers art, poetry, sex and the motives of monsters. Finally, at its heart, GOD’S POCKET is the story of five very good friends trying to figure out that no-man’s land between being a kid and becoming an adult.

Sven Axelrad takes pride in being a street-writer. His university degree is in commerce, but Sven is proof that you don’t need a master’s in creative writing, a famous mentor or a pedigree of any kind if you read often, widely and well. Son of a translator and a teacher, Sven grew up in love with words. His first creative pursuit was music. Sven played guitar in multiple bands, and performed as a singer-songwriter, with his focus always on the lyrics of his songs. Even now, music underpins each of his novels with structure and cadence. Sven’s first writing professors were the novels of the Latin-American magical realists, the likes of Bolaño, Marquez, Vargas Llosa and Allende. Later he would read Zambra, Murakami, Enriquez, Saramago, Saunders, de Bernières and a thousand others. Each book contained important lessons, even the bad ones.

The deal was negotiated by Fourie Botha of The Lennon-Ritchie Agency. For more information, email info@lennonliterary.com.

PRAISE FOR BURIED TREASURE

‘Part parable, part love story and a pastiche of other genres, Axelrad’s debut is a textured, literary work. Behind the veil of a quirky patchwork of yarns is a complex exploration of the moral universe’ –BUSINESS DAY

‘Jam-packed with quirky, loveable characters, endlessly amusing, even ridiculous incidents, tender and even tantalizingly compelling thought experiments, philosophical ruminations and – above all else – simply exquisite prose’ NEWS24

‘Guided by a tremendous generosity of spirit’ – NEWS24

‘Dark, graphic, clever and funny as hell’ – Paige Nick

‘An astonishing new voice’ – the Good Book Appreciation Society

‘The treasure is what you’d hope to find – a heart’ – VRYE WEEKBLAD

‘I felt like I was in a theatre, watching a new play unfold slowly’ – THE WITNESS

‘Lyrical, dark, bold, inventive’ – THE WITNESS

‘Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far in all its dark and quirky weirdness and loveliness’ – CAPE TALK RADIO

‘Equally hilarious and poignant’ – DARK.LIT

‘Charming, humorous and unconventional. A truly refreshing read.’ – ART SMART

‘A tremendous, wonderfully wise, debut’ – therealmrbookiebarns

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s new novel to be published in North America by House of Anansi Press

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North American book rights to Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s fourth novel, a work of literary fiction using gothic tropes and titled THE CREATION OF HALF-BROKEN PEOPLE, have been won by House of Anansi Press. Anansi is a fiercely independent publisher based in Toronto who has published stellar names like Matt Cohen, Michael Ondaatje, Northrop Frye, Austin Clarke, Harold Sonny Ladoo, Daphne Marlatt, Roch Carrier, and Margaret Atwood (who also worked for the press as an editor).

Editor Shivaun Hearne acquired the book, saying: “I loved it right away. I was particularly taken by the way Siphiwe weaves the threads of a complex colonial history into the present through the ancestors inhabiting the visions of an anonymous woman. The sort of madness-inflected narrative sparked by this intangible inheritance reminds me of Jean Rhys, yes, but also of writers from my native Jamaica, such as Erna Brodber (also a Windham-Campbell Prize winner, and an author I’ve worked with) and Michelle Cliff. This is the sort of book I want to press on friends as soon as I’ve read it!”

Ndlovu’s THE CREATION OF HALF-BROKEN PEOPLE tells the tale of a nameless woman plagued by visions of various women. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum, a place filled with artefacts from the family’s various explorations in Africa, the family Good’s members all being descendants of Captain John Good, of KING SOLOMON’S MINES fame.

The novel explores how the continent’s past continues to haunt its present and examines the collusion of colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism in creating and normalising a certain kind of womanhood. Literary sleuths will find the book in conversation with Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE, Daphne du Maurier’s REBECCA, and Toni Morrison’s BELOVED.

The deal was negotiated by Fourie Botha of The Lennon-Ritchie Agency. For more information, email info@lennonliterary.com.

Chinenye Emezie’s GLASS HOUSE to be published in North America & in French Translation

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Chinenye Emezie’s Nigerian drama GLASS HOUSE is to be published in North America in both English and French by one of Canada’s leading independent trade publishers, Dundurn Press.

Initially published by Penguin Random House South Africa, GLASS HOUSE tells the riveting story of Udonwa and her family, who are at war under the tyranny of a monster dad. At age twelve, Udonwa has a peculiar love of her father, who favours her but beats his wife and his other children. She sees his good side: after all, he tells her that she, named ‘the peaceful child’, is the one most likely to become a doctor in the family. But luck doesn’t last forever. When her newly married eldest sister suddenly takes her from their family compound, a sinister picture emerges that shakes her life to the core. No longer the person she thought she was, Udonwa launches into a period of extreme change, and parts of her life spiral into chaos as she finds herself torn between her love for her father and an underlying need to free herself. This vivid family saga is engrossing, deeply unsettling and finally uplifting.

Chinenye Emezie studied Creative Writing at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and has a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. Her short stories and essays have appeared in anthologies and literary journals including AFRICA BOOK CLUB, KALAHARI REVIEW, BOOKLOVERS HANGOUT and OPINION NIGERIA. Chinenye is a 2013 winner of the Africa Book Club Short Story Competition and an alumna of the Hedgebrook/Vortext Women Writers’ Workshop, Whidbey Island, USA. Her award-winning short story ‘Glass House’ is recurring study material at the Centre for Theatre and Performance, department of Dramatic Arts, University of the Witwatersrand. GLASS HOUSE is her first novel.

Rights were sold by Aoife Lennon-Ritchie of The Lennon-Ritchie Agency on behalf of Penguin Random House South Africa. For more information, email info@lennonliterary.com.

THE SON OF THE HOUSE is Shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize

7 October 2021

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Congratulations to Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia! Her book, THE SON OF THE HOUSE, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize. The shortlist, comprising just five books, was announced on Tuesday, 5 October.

Of THE SON OF THE HOUSE, the jury said: “It is a delightful gift to find a book you feel fortunate to have read, akin to discovering a treasure. That is the case with The Son of the House. The novel explores issues of patriarchy and classism, themes of friendship and loss through the lenses of two very different yet unexpectedly connected women in Nigeria. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia writes a modern novel with fairytale elements and prose that punches you in the gut, leaving you wonderfully stunned by the time the book is finished.”

THE SON OF THE HOUSE is Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia’s debut novel, published in South Africa by Penguin Random House in 2019 and in North America by Dundurn Press in 2021. It has also been published in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Armenia and the United Arab Emirates. It shares the Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist with Omar El Akkad’s WHAT STRANGE PARADISE (published by McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada), Angélique Lalonde’s story collection GLORIOUS FRAZZLED BEINGS (published by House of Anansi), Jordan Tannahill’s THE LISTENERS (published by HarperCollins Canada) and Miriam Toews’ FIGHT NIGHT (published by Knopf Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada).

The plot revolves around an encounter under duress between Nwabulu and Julie, two women from vastly different backgrounds. They’re united by the same societal pressure: to marry and reproduce. Set in Nigeria, the novel is alive with local culture and family drama. It uplifts the resilience of women navigating patriarchal society.

Onyemelukwe-Onuobia is a lawyer, academic and writer of Nigerian origin who is based in both Nigeria and Canada. She graduated with a doctorate in law from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and works primarily in the areas of health, gender, and violence against women and children.

THE SON OF THE HOUSE has been met with critical acclaim. It won the SprinNG Women Author Prize 2020. It also received the Best International Fiction Book Award at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2019.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize rewards outstanding Canadian fiction. It was established by businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, author Doris Giller, in 1994. Scotiabank came on board in 2005, quadrupling the financial value of the award. The 2021 winner will receive $100 000 and each finalist $10 000.

The 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize jury is chaired by Canadian author Zalika Reid-Benta. She is assisted by fellow writers Megan Gail Coles, Joshua Whitehead, Tash Aw and Joshua Ferris. Of the 132 works submitted for the prize, twelve were longlisted and five shortlisted.

The winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize will be announced on 8 November at a ceremony in Toronto hosted by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Rupi Kaur.

Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia Wins Best International Fiction Award

27 February 2020

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Congratulations to Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia! She has been awarded the Best International Fiction Book Award at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2019 for THE SON OF THE HOUSE.

His Excellency, HH Sultan bin Muhammad Al Quasimi presented the award, which includes a prize of 50,000 AED.

THE SON OF THE HOUSE is published by Penguin Random House in South Africa and due for release by Dundurn Press in the USA in October