Profile lands Kars' Cundhill History Prize-winning history of Guyanese revolt

Profile has acquired the Cundill History Prize-winning Blood on the River: A Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast, a "gripping and immersive" work of history uncovering a little-known slave revolt, by Marjoleine Kars.

Calah Singleton, Profile editorial assistant, bought UK and Commonwealth rights from David Grossman at The David Grossman Literary Agency, representing The New Press. The UK publication is expected in late spring 2022.

Blood on the River won the 2021 Cundill History Prize, and was voted the joint winner of the 2021 Frederick Douglas Book Prize. The book depicts a large enslaved persons’ revolt in the Dutch colony of Berbice, present-day Guyana, in 1763. The work uncovers this rebellion through original transcripts, which were collected and archived by the Dutch. Through the words of both the colonists and the slaves themselves, Kars depicts a day-to-day account of the events as they unfolded.

“Blood on the River is a thrilling read: a gripping and immersive work of history, and a truly unique contribution to our understanding of enslavement, capitalism and colonialism in the Americas,” said Singleton. “We are overjoyed Marjoleine has won the 2021 Cundill History Prize and are enormously proud to be publishing Blood on the River at Profile.”

Kars added: “I wrote about this uprising to enhance our understanding of slavery and resistance in the Americas. I am overwhelmed by the reception the book has received, and so pleased that Profile Books will be bringing the stories uncovered in Blood on the River to a wider audience.”

Chair of the judges at the Cundill History Prize, Michael Ignatieff, said the book “transforms our understanding of two vitally important subjects – slavery and empire – and it tells a story so dramatic, so compelling that no reader will be able to put the book down”.