Penguin Random House India (PRHI) has decided not to publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love in India in the Indian market because of proposed editorial changes to parts of the manuscript, sources said. The development has put the Indian publication of the much-anticipated book on the agenda as other major publishing houses are reportedly interested in buying the rights.
The memoir will be published on November 10 and was initially announced by US-based Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House. The publisher had said early on that the book would have an initial print run of 100,000 copies, highlighting the interest in Gandhi’s personal story.
Disagreement over changes in Editorial.
According to sources, the conflict between Gandhi and PRHI was due to the proposed changes and deletions in a part of the manuscript. The publisher sought editorial changes before publishing in India.
Gandhi is said to have rejected the proposed deletions and changes but kept the passages in question in the manuscript. After the disagreement, PRHI decided not to publish the memoir in India.
The decision means that the Indian edition will now need a new publishing arrangement. It is said several publishers are interested in the rights, and HarperCollins could be nearing an agreement to publish and distribute the memoir in India.
Memoir Schedule November 10
Despite the developments of its Indian release, Belonging: A Journey of Love in India will be released on November 10. Introduced by Alfred A. Knopf, it was called a major memoir by one of the world's most prominent women political leaders.
The initial print run of 100,000 copies announced by Knopf indicates the scale of expectations surrounding the book. Gandhi's long association with Indian politics and the Nehru-Gandhi family is expected to attract considerable attention.
However, for readers in India, the publication arrangements have now become a separate issue, with the rights moving away from PRHI.
Sonia Gandhi's Personal Account
Sonia Gandhi has previously been associated with books and publications, but people who worked on the preparation of Belonging have described the memoir as a particularly personal account of her life.
The book will describe Gandhi’s life in India, her family life, and the period when politics was most significant in India. Its themes are political events but relationships, family, personal experiences, and the difficulty of public life, it is said.
In its announcement, Knopf characterized the memoir as a compelling story of love, family, and India. Gandhi herself has also pointed out that though there has been a lot written about her family, most of the accounts have been based on public events and not on the reasons, actions, and human failures of the individuals involved so far.
The memoir will therefore offer Gandhi's own perspective on her life and Indian society and politics.
Interest From Other Publishers
With PRHI no longer producing the Indian edition, attention has shifted to the publishing houses that are vying for the rights. HarperCollins is close to finalising a deal to publish and distribute the memoir in India.
If the book were to be changed at this point, it would bring new interest to it. This also underscores the importance of editorial decisions for the authors of high-profile political memoirs, particularly when it is about public figures and political events and family.
The eventual Indian publisher will be responsible for bringing the book to readers as well as publishing and distributing it in India.
Penguin Random House India controversy.
The new development is coming at a time when Penguin Random House India is in the midst of a controversy around the memoir of former army chief General MM Naravane.
Earlier, PRHI had said it had “not printed” Naravane's memoir Four Stars of Destiny despite Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holding a hard copy of the book in Parliament. The episode attracted much debate because portions of the memoir had already come out in the media.
Those excerpts were said to be Naravane's account of the India-China conflict in Galwan and his view of the Agnipath military recruitment scheme.
The latest dispute over Sonia Gandhi’s memoir is separate from the Naravane episode, but it once more puts PRHI’s handling of high-profile memoirs under public scrutiny.
What happens next?
The key issue now is which publisher will eventually take over the Indian edition of Belonging. HarperCollins is on the verge of an agreement, so we will get an official announcement of publishing and distribution plans for Indian readers soon.
The November 10 release date also means publishing arrangements must be finalised well ahead of the launch if we want to get the book to India around the same time as its international release.
Sonia Gandhi’s memoir is expected to attract large volumes of interest because of her decades-long presence in Indian public life and her link to one of the country’s most prominent political families. The conflict over editorial changes has only added to the interest of a book that was already expected to be of great interest.
As the Indian publishing rights are still being sought, Belonging: A Journey of Love in India is one of the most closely watched political memoirs ahead of its likely release in November.
