Umuzi Wins Auction for New Lauren Beukes Novel

by Amanda on Oct 19th, 2011

Random House Struik is delighted to announce that its Umuzi imprint has acquired the next two novels by star novelist Lauren Beukes.

Umuzi’s bid won a closely contested auction for southern African rights conducted by Beukes’s agent Oliver Munson of Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in London last week.

The rising trajectory of Cape Town-based author Lauren Beukes started with her first futuristic novel Moxyland (2008) and continued with Zoo City (2010), for which she received the internationally prestigious Arthur C Clarke Award.

The first of the two novels that Umuzi will publish is entitled THE SHINING GIRLS. It is a high-concept story of a time-travelling serial killer pursued across time by a surviving victim working together with an ex-homicide reporter. Umuzi will publish the book in a simultaneous, world-wide release in May 2013. The second novel, titled BROKEN MONSTERS, is due for release in 2014.

Rights in the USA and Canada were sold to Little, Brown. A five-house auction for UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding southern Africa, is being concluded. German, Dutch, Italian and Hebrew rights have also been sold so far.

Lauren Beukes says: “Random House Struik’s Umuzi imprint is publishing some of the most striking young voices in South Africa right now, including Diane Awerbuck, Kathryn White and Henrietta Rose-Innes. I’m delighted to be joining a progressive, adventurous and experienced local publisher with global nous.”

Stephen Johnson, Random House Struik MD, says: “Lauren Beukes at home within Random House Struik has been a dream here since her extraordinarily innovative Moxyland created its tidal wave of enthusiastic reader response in the South African market. Zoo City surpassed even that in the acclaim and popularity it enjoyed. The distinct honour of the Arthur C. Clarke Award may have surprised some but it was richly deserved so we look forward hugely to the privilege of publishing Lauren as well as what we possibly can for many years to come. Hers is a unique talent.”

Frederik de Jager, Umuzi publisher, says: “Lauren’s coming to us is one of the most exciting developments ever for Umuzi. I am absolutely convinced that she and we are a perfect fit, and that THE SHINING GIRLS will shoot the lights out.”

Oliver Munson of Blake Friedmann says: “It’s important that Lauren has a publisher whose ambition and creativity matches her own in every market, but no more so than in her home market. I’m sure Lauren and Umuzi will make a terrific team for THE SHINING GIRLS and many books to come.”

Photo: Casey Crafford