Penguin Random House India has clarified that it will not publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, in India, while denying reports that it withdrew from the project after Gandhi refused proposed editorial changes.
In a statement, the publisher said, “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 publisher confirmed that it had been interested in bringing out the book, but said fact-checking and editorial recommendations are a routine part of its publishing process. “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,” it said.
The publishing house declined to disclose details of its discussions with Gandhi, citing confidentiality. “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.
Meanwhile, Alfred A. Knopf, a major US publisher and an imprint of Penguin Random House, has announced that Belonging will be released on November 10. In a statement issued through Knopf, Sonia Gandhi reflected on the motivation behind writing the memoir. “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,” she said. “In many ways, this book is a homage to their humanness.”
Sonia Gandhi said the memoir would also offer her perspective on six decades of social and political change in India. “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,” she said. The memoir traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in Italy to her life in India as Rajiv Gandhi’s wife and Indira Gandhi’s daughter-in-law. It also recounts the events that drew her into public life, including the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s killing seven years later.
