Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Friday said the publication house is not the publisher of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s much-anticipated memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love, and dismissed claims that it had chosen not to publish the book following alleged disagreement over editorial changes.
"Penguin Random House India is not the publisher of Belonging in India. Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish Belonging because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances," a company spokesperson said.
“As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India's position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson also said the publication will “not comment further on confidential discussions with the author”.
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The clarification came in the wake of a report by The Indian Express that PRHI has decided not to publish the book over “editorial changes and deletions” sought by the publisher in a section of the manuscript – an alleged demand that was refused by Gandhi.
{{/usCountry}}The clarification came in the wake of a report by The Indian Express that PRHI has decided not to publish the book over “editorial changes and deletions” sought by the publisher in a section of the manuscript – an alleged demand that was refused by Gandhi.
{{/usCountry}}The memoir was scheduled for an international release on November 10 through Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Knopf earlier announced an initial print run of one lakh copies.
Belonging: A Journey of Love reportedly chronicles Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her move to India and marriage to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Also Read | Belonging: Sonia Gandhi’s memoir set to hit shelves in November
The book is also expected to cover some of the headlined tragedies in her life, including the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. It will also likely include her entry into public life and her years at the centre of one of India’s most prominent political families.
In the publisher’s announcement, Sonia Gandhi said, “Much has been written about my family, but few narratives were able to reach into the truth of their motivations, their actions and even their human failings…My story also offers readers a unique perspective of the social and political changes I have witnessed for six decades.”