The Ljubljana based publisher “Blodnjak” acquired the Slovenian language rights in two more Zoran Zivkovic’s novels — The Last Book and The Ghostwriter.
“Blodnjak” has already published The Fourth Circle (2006), The Bridge (2008), The Library (2008), Miss Tamara, The Reader (2008) and Amarcord (2009), and intents to keep bringing out Zoran Zivkovic’s books.
The Slovenian editions of The Last Book and The Ghostwriter are due for publication by the end of the year.
The leading Serbian publisher “Zavod” acquired the exclusive rights in Zoran Zivkovic’s collected prose works both in Serbian and English. The Serbian language rights refer to the territory of Serbia, while the English language rights refer to the territory of former Yugoslavia.
The two slipcased editions will be published in two large luxurious hard-cover volumes each.
The first volume, Novels, will comprise seven Zoran Zivkovic’s novels (392,000 words): The Fourth Circle, The Writer, The Book, Hidden Camera, The Last Book, Escher’s Loops and The Ghostwriter.
The second volume, Impossible Stories, will contain ten Zoran Zivkovic’s collections (283,000 words): Time Gifts, Impossible Encounters, Seven Touches of Music, The Library, Steps through the Mist, Four Stories till the End, Twelve Collections, The Bridge, Miss Tamara, the Reader and Amarcord. Along with five uncollected stories (“Compartments”, “The Teashop”, “The Square”, “The Telephone” and “First Photograph”) there will be a total of seventy stories.
The two language editions of the first volume, Novels, will appear for the occasion of the 2009 Belgrade Book Fair, in late October. The two language editions of the second volume, Impossible Stories, are scheduled for early 2010.
Film rights for award-winning author Zoran Zivkovic’s novel Hidden Camera have been optioned to the Serbian production company Studio Sijan.
A MAJOR DEAL WITH DUMONT BUCHVERLAG
One of the most prestigious German publishers, DuMont Buchverlag, bought the exclusive rights in as much as five Zoran Zivkovic’s books, through AVA International Literary Agency:
1. Time Gifts
4. The Library
The five mosaic-novels will be brought out in the Spring of 2011 in a single hard-cover volume titled Impossible Stories.
DuMont also aquired an option in The Bridge.
Here is the cover of the Dutch edition of The Last Book. The novel will be brought out in January 2010 by De Vliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman).
Impossible Stories II (which consists of Compartments, Four Stories till the End and Amarcord, as well as two stand-alone stories, “The Square” and “First Photograph”) has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly:
Zivkovic (The Writer/The Book/The Reader) masterfully filters memory and art through absurdism in this limited edition collection. “Compartments” follows an unnamed man as he is escorted through six rooms on a train, encountering odd travelers who tell him about a mysterious muse-like woman. “Four Stories Till the End,” the pinnacle of both storytelling and strangeness, features four people, each interrupted in turn by guests who tell art-themed stories with delightful digressions on the horrible crimes prevented by circus detectives and the need for any top hotel to have a weapons factory. “Amarcord,” named for Fellini’s 1973 film, comprises 10 short stories wherein various people buy, sell and lose their memories. Two shorter pieces round out the collection, which neither has nor needs mainstream appeal; fans of Zivkovic’s unclassifiable quirkiness will quickly snap up all 500 copies.
Impossible Stories II will be released in September by PS Publishing in the UK.
THE FOURTH CIRCLE RIGHTS TO PS PUBLISHING
John Jarrold has sold World English language limited-edition rights in award-winning Serbian author Zoran Zivkovic’s first novel, THE FOURTH CIRCLE, to Peter Crowther of PS Publishing, for publication in 2010.
‘The novel is subtle and fascinating’, said Jarrold. ‘It’s a true classic.’
Contact John Jarrold for further information, by e-mail at j.jarrold@btinternet.com or by phone on 01522 510544.
3rd July 2009