Simon & Schuster is to publish two new novels by Kishwar Desai, along with a re-release of her 2010 Costa Award-winning début Witness the Night.
Simon & Schuster's newly appointed senior commissioning editor for fiction Clare Hey bought the rights following the demise of Beautiful Books and will republish in June.
Desai's second novel ORIGINS OF LOVE, also due to be published in June, will be a simultaneous publication with the S&S India office in Delhi and the Australia office in Sydney.
Hey said she was excited about the "global opportunities" that Desai-who divides her time between the UK and India-offers. "Kishwar's first novel was a real sensation, both here in the UK and in India, and I am delighted to be taking her career to the next level with S&S and our sister offices overseas," she said.
Praise for WITNESS THE NIGHT:
'No 'next-best-thing' novel has been as literary, bold and compelling as WITNESS THE NIGHT... it is a taught, gripping and complex thriller with two enigmatic heroines at its core...if you liked Stieg Larsson's 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', this is the book for your summer/autumn 2011. I dare you - woman, man, neither or both - not to love WITNESS THE NIGHT.' -- Abigail Tarttelin, Huffington Post
'It is a talent for an author to be able to fictionalise a social issue; intertwined with fact whilst all the time rendering the reader captivated and moved; Desai does just this - splendidly.' -- Sima Barmania, The Independent
'A gripping read' -- The Indiaphile
'The novel that gets to the heart of tradition-bound India' -- The Pioneer
'It is with no surprise that we heard about Kishwar Desai winning the Costa First Novel Award 2010 earlier this week. Her novel, WITNESS THE NIGHT is a poignant and harrowing story set in a small town in India…' -- DSC South Asian Literary Festival
'Powerful' -- Hazel Larkin, Women's View on News
'Terrific' -- Toby Clements, The Telegraph
'A powerfully-felt, shocking and moving indictment of cruelty and oppression' -- Maggie Gee, author of THE WHITE FAMILY
'...this sad and thought-provoking tale is certainly worth the read.' -- Laura Wilson, The Guardian
'Very important themes [and a] very appealing central character.' -- Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour
'Essential reading.' -- Nihal, BBC Asian Network
'Kishwar Desai pulls off a remarkable trick, transplanting a country house murder to modern day India in a book that's not afraid to tackle serious themes.' -- 2010 Costa First Novel Award