In Haugesund, Jon Fosse’s hometown. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Anastasia Yakovleva
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Kåre Conradi Reads Five Jon Fosse Audiobooks
If you’re headed to London Book Fair (March 12 to 14) and interested in programming related to audio and rights, you’ll be interested to know that the State-based Dreamscape Media—which has five shortlisted titles in the current Audies competition—has announced overnight (February 29) that it has secured the English-language audiobook rights for five books by Norway’s Jon Fosse, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature and client of literary agent Gina Winje, you’ll recall, a frequent rights-deal reporter here at Rights Roundup.
Kåre Conradi
The list and each audiobook’s release-month projection comprises:
- Morning and Evening (March)
- Boathouse (April)
- Trilogy (April)
- Aliss at the Fire (May)
- An Angel Walks Through the Stage and Other Essays (May)
Taking on the demanding task of reading all five of these works is the LAMDA-trained actor Kåre Conradi, artistic director of the Norwegian Ibsen Company, and probably best known outside Norway for his work as Orm, the closeted gay brother of Olav (Henrik Mestad) and husband of the shield-maiden Frøya (Silje Torp) in the Netflix series Norsemen (originally Vikingane).
Conradi, in a short statement, says, “I see this as a great opportunity to become even more acquainted with his [Fosse’s] universe and to convey it to an even wider audience through audiobooks.” Sitting in a tracking booth and recording five of Fosse’s books for release in three months’ time certainly will provide him with that deeper acquaintance.
Sean McManus, Dreamscape Media president and publisher—and the current president of the Audio Publishers Association, which produces the Audie Awards—is quoted saying, “Fosse’s literary achievements are truly exceptional, and we believe that the audiobook format will provide a new and enriching way for audiences to experience his profound storytelling.”
Dreamscape was established in 2010 and operates as an independent publisher and studio. It’s based in Holland, Michigan.
Michele Cobb
And speaking of the Audio Publishers Association, the organization’s executive director, Michele Cobb is speaking in a Main Stage session on March 13 on The Future of Audio in Publishing: Global Trends and the Impact of AI with Storytel’s Helena Gustafsson; Penguin Random House Audio’s Amand D’Acierno; Spotify Owen Smith; Audible’s Aurelie de Troyer; and Bookwire’s Videl Bar-Kar.
That’s at 1:15 to 2 p.m. GMT on the second day of London Book Fair, March 13.
As in each roundup, we use some of the sales copy supplied to us by agents and rights directors, editing that copy to give you an idea about a book’s nature and tone, but limiting the promotional elements. If you’d like to submit a deal to Publishing Perspectives, see the instructions at the end of this article.
The Late Life
(Das späte Leben)
By Bernhard Schlink
- Publisher: Diogenes Verlag, Zurich
- Rights contact: Susanne Bauknecht, Diogenes
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Dutch: Cossee
- Czech: In negotiation
- French: Gallimard
- Greek: Kritiki
- Italian: Neri Pozza
- Romanian: Polirom
- Serbian: In negotiation
Bernhard Schlink
“At 76, Martin is devoted to his family life with his young wife and six-year-old son when he suddenly learns that he has only a few months to live.
“Shocked, he searches for answers, wrestling with his feelings and existential questions about his legacy, the meaning of his love and what can be achieved in the short time he has left. Martin wants to do everything right, but later life is full of surprises and unforeseen challenges that he must face.”
Schlink, who divides his time between New York and Berlin, has been translated into more than 50 languages. His 1995 book The Reader was made into a film by Stephen Daldry in 2009.
An extract of Das späte Leben is available in German.
El maestro de Azúcar
By Mayte Uceda
- Publisher: Editorial Planeta, Barcelona
- Rights contact: Anna Soler-Pont, Pontas Literary & Film Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- French: Hauteville/Bragelonne
Mayte Uceda
“This is the story of two young women, Mar and Paulina, united by the same fate, as they embark on a life-changing move from Spain to Cuba, an exotic island that hides ancient hostility in its shadows.
“While Mar dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, widowed Paulina must build a life for herself with her new and eminent husband.
“But as the Cuban War of Independence gathers pace, passion, revenge and tragedy will haunt the hacienda that the women call home.”
Repetition
By Vigdis Hjorth
- Publisher: Cappelen Damm, Oslo
- Rights contact: Ingvild Haugland Blatt: ingvild.haugland@cappelendamm.no
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – World English: Verso Books
- Denmark: Turbine
- Sweden: Natur & Kultur
- Finland: Schildts & Söderströms
- Italy: Fazi Editore
- Hungary: Polar Egyesület
“She is a grown woman going for a walk in the dark woods. She’s also a 16-year-old.
“It’s about being kissed for the first time, the incredibly clumsy, funny, and painful act of doing it for the first time. It’s about feeling the intoxication spread throughout your body at a party with some boys in a terraced house.
“All while her mother watches over the young girl like a hawk. As the novel reveals on its first page, there is a big and dangerous secret in their house.”
The Clock With a Thousand Hands:
How the ‘Biological Clock’ Influences Your Life
By Anneloes Opperhuizen and Marijke Gordijn
- Publisher: Bertram en De Leeuw Publishers, Haarlem
- Rights contact: Marleen Seegers, 2 Seas Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- South Korea: Prunsoop Publishing
“This book explains the origin of the ‘master clock’: how a healthy situation looks, and what disrupts it.
“Through various themes, the authors describe how the clock influences behaviors, providing examples and tips for the reader to lead a healthier life.”
Anneloes Opperhuizen, left, and Marijke Gordijn
Anneloes Opperhuizen graduated in psychobiology (UvA) and neurosciences (VU Amsterdam). In addition to her postdoctoral research, she worked as a lecturer at University College Venlo, where she designed the undergraduate course “Chronobiology” on sleep and the biological clock, catering to both university students and a broader audience at NEMO. Her diverse activities stem from her passion for translating scientific chronobiological research into society, aiming to introduce as many people as possible to the field of chronobiology.
Marijke Gordijn, PhD, studied biology at the University of Groningen, specializing in chronobiology and sleep. Marijke frequently gives lectures, training sessions, and workshops at national and international gatherings in the fields of sleep medicine, psychiatry, occupational medicine, light and health, and other healthcare specialties. Additionally, Gordijn is regularly sought for contributions to articles in daily and weekly newspapers, as well as radio and television appearances.
Dad’s Bottle
By Artur Gębka and Agata Dudek
- Publisher: Widnokrąg, Piaseczno
- Rights contact: Karolina Jaszecka, KaBooks Rights Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Italian: QuinoQuarto
- South Korean: A Thousand Hopes
“When did it first appear? Nobody knows for sure.
Gębka Obraz, left, and illustrator Dudek Obraz
“At first, it stood next to the armchair, unobtrusively. From the beginning, Wojtek did not like it, but Dad … Dad stared at the bottle longer and more carefully until it started to grow.
“An extremely suggestive story about being lost and unhelpful ways of dealing with problems that over time become a great burden for the whole family. It is also a story about hope. It shows that it’s worth asking for help because only the discovery of what often remains hidden gives a chance for change.
“Using help, you can deal with the greatest difficulties and recover what is most valuable.”
Dad’s Bottle was nominated for a 2023 Best Book award by IBBY’s Polish section in the illustration category for Agata Dudek’s illustrations.
Céleste:
‘Of Course, Mr. Proust.’ — Part One
By Chloé Cruchaudet
- Publisher: Éditions Soleil, Groupe Delcourt, Québec City
- Rights contact: Séverine Aupert, Groupe Delcourt
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Catalan: Finestres
- German: Insel Verlag
- World Spanish: Grupo Penguin Random House/Lumen, Spain
- Portuguese, Brazil only: Nemo, Autêntica
Chloé Cruchaudet
“On the occasion of the centenary of the death of Marcel Proust, this diptych, signed by Chloé Cruchaudet, is based on a mirror structure and focuses on the link between Céleste Albaret and the genius writer.
“Thanks to multiple sources, the screenwriter, illustrator, and colorist Chloé Cruchaudet weaves the devoted and passionate portrait of Céleste Albaret, governess and sometimes secretary of Marcel Proust until her death in 1922.
“She reveals their bond, the writer in all his asperities, the atmosphere of an era and the underside of the construction of a fiction. Real world and ghostly world intertwine to nourish this sublime diptych.”
Submitting Rights Deals to Publishing Perspectives
Do you have rights deals to report? Agents and publishing-house rights directors can use our rights deal submission form to send us the information we need. If you have questions, please send them to Porter@PublishingPerspectives.com
We look forward to hearing from you.
More of Publishing Perspectives‘ rights roundups are here, and more from us on international rights trading is here.
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