Publishing: Around the World
The 15th edition of JLF will now begin on 5th March 2022
Teamwork Arts, the producer of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, rescheduled the Festival, which was previously scheduled for the end of January, the festival has now been rescheduled to run between the 5th and 14th March 2022.
Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, who produce the Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “Keeping in mind the advent of the new variant and the sharp rise in the number of cases across the country, we have thought it best to reschedule the Festival and hold it in March 2022. We remain committed to bring the Festival back to Jaipur as an on-ground, immersive experience, promoting dialogue, discussion and debate on books and ideas.”
The IPA has condemned Peru’s court action
Penguin Random House Perú director general Jerónimo Pimentel has been convicted by a court in Lima in a defamation case. Pimental spoke on a panel about the freedom to publish in late November at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, an event programmed by the International Publishers Association. International concern is being expressed in response to recent court ruling in Lima.
Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the Freedom to Publish committee the International Publishers Association (IPA), said “We stand in full support of the publisher and author in their appeal. Defamation cases are used to silence authors and publishers.”
Markus Dohle, global CEO of PRH added, “Penguin Random House has an unwavering commitment to responsibly publishing books that drive the cultural conversation and political debate. We firmly believe that this judicial sentence will chill free speech and political debate.
HarperCollins publishers acquires global publishing rights to the authorized biography of Ratan N. Tata
HarperCollins recently announced that it has acquired rights to publish the authorized biography of legendary business figure Ratan N. Tata, who is counted among the most influential and inspirational leaders in the world. Ratan N. Tata: The Authorized Biography by Dr Thomas Mathew will be published globally by HarperCollins in all formats in November 2022.
Udayan Mitra at HarperCollins India acquired world rights in all languages from Anish Chandy at Labyrinth Literary Agency. The book will be published by HarperCollins India in English and the principal Indian languages, by HarperCollins Leadership in the US and by William Collins in the UK.
The Booker Prize judges are announced
The judges for the 2022 Booker Prize were announced recently, as the prize opened for submissions. Cultural historian, writer and broadcaster Neil MacGregor will chair the panel and will be joined by academic and broadcaster Shahidha Bari; historian Helen Castor; novelist and critic M John Harrison; and novelist, poet and professor Alain Mabanckou.
Renowned Bengali cartoonist and illustrator Narayan Debnath passes away
Legendary cartoonist & illustrator Narayan Debnath passed away recently at the ripe age of 96. He was the creator of some immortal cartoon characters for Bengali readers such as Bantul the Great, Handa Bhonda, Nonte Fonte that have inspired not only children but generations of Bengalis. His comic strips have attained a cult following for nearly six decades. He was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi award in 2013 and the Padma Shri in 2021.