‘Was willing and keen’: Penguin India hints it never refused to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Refusing to divulge confidential discussions with Congress leader and author Sonia Gandhi, Penguin India said on Friday that it was always “willing and keen” to publish her memoir “Belonging: A Journey of Love” and dismissed suggestions that a disagreement over editorial changes prevented the project from going ahead.

The memoir has now been published by William Collins and, according to some e-commerce websites, it is expected to be released on November 10.

In a statement refuting media reports alleging a controversy behind the botched project, Penguin Random House India said that it “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”.

“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,” it said.

“We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author,” said the publisher.

The statement from the publisher follows reports in the media that the publisher refused to publish the book due to disagreement over editorial changes.

The book, published by William Collins, is likely to be released on Amazon on November 10, and its Kindle edition is priced at Rs 2,615.

The brief about the book on Amazon says: “A surprising, richly told memoir that seamlessly weaves the personal with the political to tell a riveting story: of love, of family, and of an endlessly fascinating country, India.”

“How did a girl from a small village in Italy rise as a politician in India and become known around the world? Belonging begins in Cambridge, England, where in 1965 Sonia Maino, a nineteen-year-old student, falls in love at first sight with the handsome, dark-eyed young man she’s destined to marry: Rajiv Gandhi, grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first Prime Minister,” it says.

The publisher’s note on Sonia Gandhi’s memoir adds, “This dramatic account, at once epic and intimate, gives readers a unique lens on India — its tumultuous post-independence history and its present political struggles – offering an insider’s keen perspective on the country’s enormous political, economic and social changes over fifty years.”

“Movingly, the book goes behind the scenes of a renowned political family. Most revelatory of all is the portrait of Sonia herself as she invites readers into her private joys and travails, as well as the people and events that shaped her. In a voice at once perceptive and modest, she shares her insights into identity, duty, and the meaning of home,” it says.

“’Belonging’ is at heart one courageous woman’s story of falling in love with a man and a country, of finding the strength to remake her life and to serve India, the place where she belongs,” says the publisher’s note on the online e-commerce retailer.

–IANS

rch/uk