New Delhi, 28 August— A controversy around the reported denial of publication of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s memoir ‘Belonging: A journey of Love’ by Penguin Randon House India has erupted which raises many questions then answered by the publisher.
Even as Penguin Random House India today categorically denied that it decided not to publish Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love after the author declined editorial changes, saying it had remained “willing and keen” to publish the book throughout the discussions but the statement skirted questions ah what actually led to its denial.
While Penguin Random House India is categorial in its response: “It’s not the publisher of ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir, in India”, well-placed sources said that there was tremendous political pressure from the ruling party to get certain portions that touched upon the rise of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming to power removed or edited in the parlance of the publishing business.
Penguin Randon House India’s statement intelligently avoids facts as the language used is clearly wishy washy not touching real issues.
The statement from Penguin comes amid reports that the publisher backed out after Sonia Gandhi refused “editorial” changes.
“Penguin Random House India 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,” the company said in a statement.
The publisher did acknowledge that they were “keen to publish the book”, adding that it is their responsibility to fact check authors and provide recommendations, hinting at the discussion around the book with Sonia Gandhi.
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,” the statement said.
The publisher though refused to divulge the details of the discussion with the author.
“Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book. We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author,” the statement added.
With Penguin out of the picture, several Indian publishers are now in the race to get the rights with HarperCollins reported to be close to finalising a deal to publish and distribute the book in India.
Publisher Alfred A Knopf, a giant in American publishing and an imprint of Penguin Random House, has announced that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir will be released on November 10.
“Much has been written about my family, but few narratives were able to reach into the truth of their motivations, their actions and even their very human failings,” Sonia Gandhi said in a statement issued through Knopf. “In many ways, this book is a homage to their humanness. My story also offers readers a unique perspective of the social and political changes I have witnessed for six decades in the beautiful country of my belonging.”
In “Belonging,” Sonia Gandhi writes of her life being upended when her mother-in-law is assassinated in 1984 and succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi who seven years later was also murdered.
Sonia Gandhi eventually entered politics and became the longest-serving president of the Congress while also turning down her party’s offer to become prime minister. Her party lost power to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in 2014.
“Writing about my life did not come easily to me. It meant opening myself up, sharing moments and experiences I had always held deep inside,” she said. “Yet as I gradually removed myself from the political sphere and looked back at all I had seen, the thread of love and loyalty that wove through my story began to define itself, from the simplicity of my childhood in small-town Italy, to the complexity of my years in India as the wife of Rajiv Gandhi and the daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.”
A knowledgeable source said that if the book had come in the market without any changes as desired by the Publishing house which were being asked at the behest of the powers that be, it would have hugely embarrassed the RSS-BJP ecosystem at a time when the image of Prime Minister is eroding fast and the popularity of Leader of the Opposition is rising phenomenally.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
