New Delhi, Aug 28: Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Friday clarified that it is not the publisher of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, “Belonging: A Journey of Love”, scheduled for release on November 10.
The clarification came weeks after American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced the publication of the memoir.
“Penguin Random House India is not the publisher of Belonging in India,” the company said in a statement, adding that suggestions that it decided against publishing the book because Gandhi rejected editorial changes did not accurately reflect the circumstances.
The statement followed a report claiming that the Indian publisher had withdrawn from the project after Gandhi declined proposed “editorial changes” to the manuscript.
PRHI said it had been “willing and keen to publish the book”, while noting that fact-checking manuscripts and making editorial recommendations are 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, adding that it would not comment further on confidential discussions with the author.
Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over the book’s distribution in India. An e-book edition was listed for pre-order on Amazon at Rs 2,615 and identified as being published by William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins UK.
The India release of the memoir has generated considerable interest since Alfred A Knopf announced its publication.
According to the publisher, Gandhi’s memoir will recount her childhood in post-war Italy, her romance and marriage that brought her to India, the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi and her subsequent entry into public life. It will also cover her decision to decline the prime minister’s post in 2004.
Gandhi, 79, has largely kept details of her private life away from public forums. The book is expected to provide a personal account of her journey into one of India’s most prominent political families and the events that shaped her life and political career.
PRHI has faced publishing controversies in recent months. In June, it withdrew journalist and author Joe Sacco’s graphic novel on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, citing “local legal, regulatory, commercial, and market considerations”.
Earlier, the publisher had also said it had not printed former Army Chief General M M Naravane’s memoir “Four Stars of Destiny”, after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi displayed a copy of the book in Parliament.
Penguin Random House India is the Indian subsidiary and operating company of global publishing group Penguin Random House.
