We’re thrilled that Harvill Secker will be publishing an extraordinary trilogy of literary thrillers set in Rome during the final, tumultuous years of World War II, by the bestselling author of SHADOWPLAY and STAR OF THE SEA, Joseph O’Connor. Liz Foley, Publishing Director at Harvill Secker, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) in all three novels and has been joined by Europa’s Editor-in-Chief Michael Reynolds, who has also acquired the three titles for publication in the US and Canada.
My FATHER’S HOUSE, the first title in the Rome Escape Line trilogy, is inspired by the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, an Irish priest assigned to the Vatican who, together with a group of unlikely accomplices, risked his life to smuggle Jews and escaped Allied prisoners out of Italy right under the nose of his Nazi nemesis, Gestapo officer Paul Hauptmann. The further titles will take two other characters in the Escape Line group as their focus, as they face their own challenges in the fight to save others in dangerous times.
MY FATHER’S HOUSE will be published by Harvill Secker and Europa in January 2023. Rights are also already sold in France, Italy and Sweden.
Based on an extraordinary true story, MY FATHER'S HOUSE is a powerful literary thriller from a master of historical fiction. Joseph O'Connor has created an unforgettable novel of love, faith and sacrifice, and what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.
Joseph O’Connor said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled and excited that MY FATHER’S HOUSE will be published by Harvill Secker and Europa. Working on the book with editor Liz Foley has been a joy, and I deeply admire the skill and professionalism of the whole Harvill / PRH team. It is also such a great pleasure to be published by Michael Reynolds at Europa, where the passion for excellence is so strong. This novel means a lot to me and I couldn't imagine it in better hands as it sets out to meet its readers on both sides of the Atlantic.’
Liz Foley, Harvill Secker said: 'MY FATHER'S HOUSE is a moving and masterful literary thriller – quite extraordinary in being a beautiful read and also intensely gripping. We can’t wait to bring readers to the wartime Rome Joe so brilliantly conjures and introduce them to the Escape Line.’
Michael Reynolds, Europa, said: ‘Joe’s ability to render character and atmosphere, to create a fully realized world in his novels is unparalleled. He writes each member of his cast of characters with remarkable vividness and conveys just what is at stake in their actions—not only the lives of the people they help but the future political and moral bearings of a world riven by war. MY FATHER’S HOUSE is epic in scope, gripping, beautifully written, and it is an important book because of the questions it raises about how one ought to act. The publication of MY FATHER’S HOUSE will be a big event at Europa, and the excitement in-house is already palpable.’
Isobel Dixon said: ‘MY FATHER’S HOUSE is an extraordinary true story, conjured into an unforgettable novel, one that delivers nail-biting tension along with scenes of great beauty and heartbreaking tenderness. There is such excitement around this very special book, and I know that excitement will spread from Joe’s publishers to many more readers – and we are all thrilled that there is more to come from Joe’s magnificent characters as well.’
About Joseph O’Connor
Joseph O'Connor was born in Dublin. His most recent novel, SHADOWPLAY, won Eason Novel of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2019 and in 2020 was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award, Novel of the Year at the Dalkey Literary Awards, the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the Jean Monnet Prize. In 2022, he was awarded the AWB Vincent American Ireland Fund Award for his contribution to Irish literature.
Joseph is the author of eight other novels: COWBOYS AND INDIANS (Whitbread Prize shortlist), DESPERADOES, THE SALESMAN, INISHOWEN, STAR OF THE SEA (American Library Association Award, Irish Post Award for Fiction, France's Prix Millepages, Italy's Premio Acerbi, Prix Madeleine Zepter for European novel of the year), REDEMPTION FALLS, GHOST LIGHT (Dublin One City One Book Novel 2011) and THE THRILL OF IT ALL. His fiction has been translated into forty languages. He received the 2012 Irish PEN Award for outstanding achievement in literature and in 2014 he was appointed Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.
Praise for Joseph O’Connor and SHADOWPLAY
‘A masterful storyteller.’ — Neel Mukherjee, The Times
‘Joseph O’Connor’s magnificent novel does even more than fly, it soars.’ — Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
‘A great writer performing Olympian literary storytelling.’ — Sir Bob Geldof
‘Breathtaking … SHADOWPLAY is a book undaunted. … As much as this is a hugely entertaining book about the grand scope of friendship and love, it is also, movingly – at times, agonisingly – a story of transience, loss and true loyalty.’ Sadie Jones, The Guardian
‘A vibrantly imaginative narrative of passion, intrigue and literary ambition’ — Miranda Seymour, New York Times
'Like Joyce, O'Connor combines his panoramic range with a close eye to the grain and texture of the phrase... An astonishingly accomplished writer.' — Terry Eagleton, The Guardian
‘Ireland’s greatest storyteller.’ — The Sunday Independent
‘Subtly drawn and intensely affecting… Mr. O’Connor’s main characters—Stoker, Irving and the beloved actress Ellen Terry—are so forcefully brought to life that when, close to tears, you reach this drama’s final page, you will return to the beginning just to remain in their company.’ — Anna Mundow, Wall Street Journal
‘One of the best writers working today.’ – Alice Walker