Press Release: Deals Done
Penguin Acquires World Rights From Debut Novelist Tipped For Greatness
Posted at 7:01AM Monday 30 Mar 2009
Penguin has bought world rights to a stunning debut novel by Aatish Taseer – tipped by V S Naipaul as 'a writer to watch' – from Andrew Kidd at Aitken Alexander. Set in contemporary Delhi, The Temple-Goers presents a world of drink and designer labels, literature and laptops, and heralds the arrival of the cool new urban voice of modern India. It tells the gripping story of a wealthy, cosmopolitan member of India's English-speaking elite who forms an unlikely but intense friendship with his personal trainer, a brilliantly charismatic, enigmatic young man on the make, only to find himself embroiled in a high-profile, politically sensitive murder investigation. The novel is Will Hammond's first fiction buy for Viking. He said: "From the first paragraph of this extraordinary novel, Aatish Taseer completely refreshes our image of modern India. But while he treads some of the same turf as Kiran Desai and Aravind Adiga, his voice reminds me far more of Bret Easton Ellis, in its powerful sense of urban disquiet, and Joseph O'Neill's Netherland in its startling juxtaposition of unusual worlds. He brilliantly interweaves themes of violence, ambition, sexuality, class and politics, and in doing so has written not just a novel about modern India but an unmissable story for our times." Venetia Butterfield, Publishing Director of Viking, said: "I'm thrilled that Will has bought this highly accomplished novel for Viking. It is completely compelling and reveals an India I've never previously encountered on the page. It is rare to read a writer who can tell such a story, create characters that one cares about and say so much about the world we live in." Helen Fraser, Managing Director of Penguin UK, said: "This is a completely fascinating first novel. It is funny, sharp, beautifully observed social comedy, which gradually turns into something much more menacing and peculiar. I really loved it." Aatish Taseer was born in 1980. He has worked as reporter for Time Magazine and has written for the Sunday Times, Prospect and India Today. He has also written a travel memoir, Stranger to History: a Son's Journey through Islamic Lands (2009) and a highly acclaimed translation Manto: Selected Stories (2008). He lives in London and Delhi. Viking will publish on 4 March 2010 in Royal Trade Paperback For further information please contact Joanna Prior on 0207 010 3250 Joanna.Prior@uk.penguingroup.com
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