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Marlon James trilogy – another exciting acquisition for Hamish Hamilton

Marlon James

Hamish Hamilton is delighted to announce the acquisition of The Dark Star Trilogy by Marlon James.

This dazzlingly ambitious new project from the Man Booker-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings comprises a trio of literary fantasy novels informed by the vast reservoir of African myth and heritage. In three interlinking novels – Black Leopard, Red Wolf; Moon Witch, Night Devil; and The Boy and the Dark Star – Marlon James charts an exhilarating course through intrigue and betrayal, exploring the nature of power, identity and truth itself.

Hamish Hamilton Publisher Simon Prosser commented on the acquisition: 

'I couldn’t be more excited about a project.  Marlon James is an outstanding writer and the energy and ambition of this work-in-progress is extraordinary. The writing just burns off the page, hooking the reader from the very first lines. It is going to be a thrilling journey, seeing where Marlon takes us over the course of the trilogy. And I am certain it will be a major landmark in contemporary writing.’

Marlon James himself said:

‘One of the things I love about Amos Tutuola, Flora Nwapa, Tolkein, Ursula le Guin, and Margaret Atwood, is that they know that myths are the wellspring of all storytelling, and draw from them directly, shaping them into new myths. I am excited about doing the same with African myths, histories and folk tales, many of which survived the middle passage, and became crucial in how we see ourselves. I like to think I’m doing something new, but I’m just tapping into thousands of years tradition and using it for invention. But that also means there will be brave kings, cunning queens, wise witches and horrendous monsters.

I am so excited to find a home at Hamish Hamilton, home to so many of my heroes and peers. They have a distinguished literary tradition of being anything but traditional, which makes them perfect for writers like me. I look forward to working with them.’I am so excited to find a home at Hamish Hamilton, home to so many of my heroes and peers. They have a distinguished literary tradition of being anything but traditional, which makes them perfect for writers like me. I look forward to working with them.’

The first book in Marlon James’ trilogy, Black Leopard, Red Wolf will be published in Autumn 2018.

The acquisition adds to an exciting BAME (Black Asian Minority Ethnic) front list from Hamish Hamilton throughout 2017. This includes publication this Spring of Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life, Yiyun Li’s luminous memoir about reading, writing and how to find meaning in a life. In March we publish Exit West an astonishing new novel from Mohsin Hamid, the bestselling, Man Booker shortlisted author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Hamish also publish the much-anticipated The Shape of Bones by Daniel Galera - a visceral coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of violence and turbulent desire in the blistering Brazilian suburbs. Later in April we publish White Tears, a feverish new tale from Hari Kunzru the bestselling author of The Impressionist: two ambitious young musicians are drawn into a dark underworld, haunted by the ghosts of a repressive past.

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