Cape wins music icon Neneh Cherry’s 'powerful' memoir in 14-way auction

Jonathan Cape has acquired Swedish musician Neneh Cherry’s memoir, A Thousand Threads, in a 14-way auction.

Michal Shavit, publishing director at Jonathan Cape, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in the memoir from Claire Conrad at Janklow & Nesbit to publish in autumn 2022. US rights were acquired by Nan Graham at Scribner.

The memoir of the Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper and producer, known for her hits including "Buffalo Stance" in 1988, spans continents "breaking down barriers racially, artistically, politically" and celebrates family, love, friendship, motherhood, womanhood, music, art, food and creativity, according to the publisher. 

The synopsis reads: "This is the story of Moki, Neneh’s mother, a Swedish artist, and Don, her stepfather, an American Jazz musician. It’s about Ahmadu, a musician from Sierra Leone, Neneh’s biological dad and father to nine children. It’s about growing up between a small village in southern Sweden and among musicians in New York. It’s about London and the music scene thriving there since the late Seventies; it’s about punk and reggae and dub and hip hop and rap and pop. It’s about having children and being a mother and a daughter, both. It’s about balancing family life and work life and an artistic life. It’s about race and struggle and overcoming hardship. It’s about feminism, and the joy of female friendships. It’s about love. It’s about marriage. It’s about music. It’s about finding a needle in a haystack, literally. The book will have texture and an extraordinary personal story, tied together by many cultural strands."

In terms of presentation, the publisher added that images and photographs will be "integral", and each chapter will begin with a playlist.

Shavit predicted the book will be a future "classic of its kind. Neneh Cherry is not only a music icon, a feminist icon and a passionate activist. With this book she also shows her brilliance and talent as a writer," she said. "This is a memoir like no other I have ever read. Neneh’s personal story is an extraordinarily moving and powerful one. It’s a multicultural story, spanning continents, breaking down barriers racially, artistically, politically, socially. But most of all it is a deeply personal, deeply touching book celebrating family, love, friendship, motherhood, womanhood, music, art, food and creativity. It is sure to become a classic of its kind and I cannot wait to see it out in the world. Jonathan Cape and Vintage are incredibly proud to be publishing this book."

Cherry has released five studio albums and won two Brit Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award (with Youssou N’Dour for their hit "Seven Seconds" in 1994), and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990 in the Best New Artist Category. She has collaborated with artists including Cher, Gang Starr, Robyn, Four Tet and Gorillaz. Her latest album, "Broken Politics", was released in 2018, followed in 2019 by a 30th anniversary expanded reissue of her 1989 solo debut album "Raw Like Sushi".