Press Release: Deals Done
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Acquire New Novel By Steve Martin
Posted at 6:38AM Thursday 20 May 2010
Bestselling author and acclaimed entertainerSteve Martin is to publish a new novel called AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY set in the world of fine art in New York. The novel examines the glamour and subterfuge of New York's art world, as well as the 'gold rush' moment when the prices of contemporary art rocketed, and art became a tradable asset amongst an emerging financial elite. The book's protagonist, Lacey Yeager is young, captivating and ambitious, and is determined to conquer the New York art world whatever it takes. Groomed at Sotheby's and hungry to climb not only the career ladder but also the city's social echelons, Lacey charms men and women, old and young, rich... and even richer. Her ascension to the highest tiers of the city parallels the soaring heights - and, at times, the dark lows - of the art world from the late 1990s through to today. Steve Martin is well-known as an art collector and the book will be illustrated with twenty-four 4-colour images integrated throughout. Kirsty Dunseath, Fiction Publishing Director, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, bought UK & Commonwealth rights from Nancy Weise at Hachette Book Group USA. Hachette holds world rights in a deal brokered by agent Esther Newberg, at International Creative Management. The book has already been praised by Joyce Carol Oates who said: 'At first you think that An Object of Beauty will be a romantic comedy, starring a strong-willed, very smart and very ruthless heroine-adventuress in the New York art world; then, as its irresistibly rendered scenes unfold, you realize that you are experiencing, from the most intimate of perspectives, the quasi-tragic history of an era. Like Steve Martin's heartrending Shopgirl, this very different novel will captivate your attention from start to finish. I was reminded of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence—we gain admission to a world of glittering surfaces to which few have access, and we are made to feel the perimeters of this world, the abruptness with which its doors are shut against those who violate its taboos. An Object of Beauty is the equivalent of any number of "art histories" of the late American 20th century in the guise of a doomed love affair.' AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY is due for publication in November 2010 and will be published simultaneously by Little Brown USA.
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