RofC Newsletter - Holiday Especiale
Including update on the RofC prize, two releases from Rough Trade, a debut from Jacaranda Books, a short story course from Inkandescent, and the first novel of next year from Weatherglass Books
First, I want to thank Alex for three great newsletters and curating next year’s RofC Book Club, and I wish him well finishing his PhD.
If you want to see next year’s list and ways to join and support the prize. Ckick HERE.
With the prize in mind, I will be convening a pre-long list discussion with the judges this evening. My sense is there is unanimity and disagreement, which is how it should be. Most great books unite people; but some divide. I’ve never really got the greatness of Henry James, much of Dickens, most of Muriel Spark, any PG Wodehouse, although I’m not sure Wodehouse should be in this list.
But I’ve drifted off track. My hope is that we’ll be announcing the Long List in early January. Yes, you’ll probably have been given way too many books during the holiday period, but it’s unlikely you’ll have been given these books. That’s kind of the point of the prize - helping great books that aren’t usually picked up by the literary establishment’s radar finding their way onto your personal literary radar.
If I’m going to throw out some early clues based on what’s been read and said, it might be our best year in terms of works in translation. But don’t hold me to that. Everything can change.
Thank you again to our judges Declan O’Driscoll, Sana Goyal and Rebecca Abrams.
Jacaranda Books
From debut author and winner of the 2021 Pontas and JJ Bola Emerging Writer’s Prize
Set in a country where being gay is punishable by law, These Letters End in Tears is the heart-wrenching forbidden love story of a Christian girl with a deviant heart and a Muslim girl leading a double life.
UK and Commonwealth rights for the debut novel: These Letters End in Tears, by UK-based Cameroonian author, Musih Tedji Xaviere has been acquired by Valerie Brandes, CEO of Jacaranda Books from Anna Soler-Pont, Director at Pontas Literary and Film Agency.
Set in Cameroon, a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law, These Letters End in Tears follows the relationship between star-crossed lovers, Bessem and Fatima who try to exist authentically in a society where the odds are stacked against them. After Fatima goes missing following her brother’s discovery of her sexuality, Bessem spends years looking for answers to her lover’s whereabouts, writing unsendable letters in an effort to keep hope alive in a search that feels wrapped in futility.
Praised by When We Fell Apart author, Soon Wiley as “an urgent and devastating story [written] with vivid and textured prose,” These Letters End in Tears is a novel that Brandes at Jacaranda Books feels “fortunate” to be publishing. She calls this book, “an insightful and heartfelt debut that highlights part of the LGBTQIA+ experience in Cameroon and introduces the reader to women that face extraordinary prejudicial obstacles in service of loving one another.”
Rough Trade
In Loving Memory of Work by Craig Oldham - new edition just out ahead of the 40th anniversary of the UK Miner’s Strike in 2024.
Curated and edited by designer and author Craig Oldham, In Loving Memory of Work tells the story of the UK Miners’ Strike 1984-85 through a record of the visual culture of the working class affected during this pivotal period. Photographs, posters, badges, banners and more are presented here alongside contemporary commentary that creates both a fascinating document of a specific historical period, as well as an exploration of dissent more broadly, and the vital role visual material can play in the radical, even revolutionary, moment. Originally published in 2015, this revised and updated Rough Trade Books edition features a raft of brand-new material to mark the upcoming 40th anniversary of the dispute, celebrating the breadth of working class creativity while simultaneously paying homage to a devastated community.
Craig will be doing events in support of the publication throughout 2024.
Pretty Broad Tastes by Leslie Winer, Linder, and Christopher Shannon (January 2024) - This is the first full collection of poems from the seminal artist and writer Leslie Winer. A literary and visual trialogue between Winer, Christopher Shannon and Linder after a decade of varied collaborative projects across the worlds of design, music, art and performance.
Inkandescent
The 'Telling Tails Short Story Course for Beginners’ has been devised by publisher and author, Justin David. You’ll learn all about the short story, be given exercises and prompts to get you writing and keep you writing, and receive a toolkit with everything you need to complete your own story. This course includes a special 'meet the author' session with Neil Bartlett whose collection of connected short stories, ADDRESS BOOK, was selected by Jackie Kay as one of the Best Books of 2021 in The Guardian.
Date: 8 weeks (Thursdays)
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Zoom
Cost: £210 including weekly Zoom calls, 14 PDFs (delivered to your inbox over the duration of the course), weekly reading and writing homework tasks and a paperback copy of MAINSTREAM whose stories we study as part of the course
Note: You'll need to fill out the form to enquire about the course first. Use the code INKREPUBLIC in the message box for a 10% discount.
https://www.inkandescent.co.uk/writing-courses
Weatherglass Books
Amma by Saraid de Silva is the first novel fro 2024 from Weatherglass Books.
Lamorna was sent this and read it first. She fell in love with it. Who can blame her. Below is a screenshot of the first page. Everything is there.
To buy a copy in advance click here.
To subscribe to Weatherglass Books’ Holiday offer and get 4 books for three, click here.