Canongate pre-empts The Immortal Sisterhood by Gemma Cairney

Canongate has snapped up broadcaster and writer Gemma Cairney's first adult non-fiction title.

Senior commissioning editor Hannah Knowles pre-empted world rights to The Immortal Sisterhood from Becky Thomas at Johnson & Alcock. Canongate will publish The Immortal Sisterhood on 4th February 2021 in hardback priced at £12.99. 

"In The Immortal Sisterhood, Cairney looks at some of the lives of extraordinary women – including Nanny of the Maroons, Jeanne Duval, Poly Styrene, Maya Angelou, Wang Zhenyi, Audre Lorde, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Betty Davis and more," reads the synopsis. "And along the way she encourages the reader to find their own sisterhood support group – both learning from other women’s stories and, in turn, celebrating what those women overcame at certain points in their lives; many of whom have not been celebrated, or have been reflected upon negatively or even written out of history."

Knowles said: "When I first met Gemma, I was completely bowled over by her incredible energy, ability to cut through to the heart of things, and the sheer number of ideas she has in her head at all times. This book is the culmination all of those things, and a homage both to Gemma’s own remarkable resilience, but also to the women whose lives she shines a light on."

Cairney added: "I want to honour my sisters. Their strength in adversity is ever inspiring. I’m mostly excited about all the history I get to swim in to write this book! I’m delighted to be working with Canongate on this, they publish books that aren’t afraid to combine realism with poetry, which I believe provides humanity."