William Collins lands 'extraordinary' cricket memoir by Guha

William Collins has landed an '"extraordinary” memoir by Indian writer and commentator Ramachandra Guha, detailing his love affair with cricket.

HarperCollins India will co-publish with William Collins The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind this November. Publisher Udayan Mitra negotiated the deal with Cara Jones at Rogers, Coleridge & White. Arabella Pike, William Collins publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding India).

The synopsis explains: “As a fan, player, writer, commentator and scholar, Ramachandra Guha has spent a life with cricket. In The Commonwealth of Cricket, he offers both an utterly charming memoir and a rich assessment of the trajectory and importance of India’s national sport. He traces the game across every level at which it is played: school, college, club, state and country, offering vivid portraits of local heroes, provincial icons and international stars. Weaving his own life and personal love of the sport into the narrative, Guha captures the magic of bat and ball that has ensnared billions.”

Guha is an Indian historian and economist as well as columnist for the Telegraph, Hindustan Times and Hindi daily newspaper Amar Ujala. His books and essays have been translated into more than 20 languages, garnering prizes including the UK Cricket Society’s Literary Award and the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society of Environmental History.

Pike said: “We couldn’t be prouder to be publishing Ram, one of India’s most important writers, thinkers and commentators. This book is a beautifully crafted memoir of his lifelong passion for cricket and a story that will enchant all who love this greatest of games. We hope this is just the first of many books together.”

Mitra added: “Ramachandra Guha is quite simply one of the very best non-fiction writers we have, and every new book from him is a treat for readers. This is the story of how one of the truly exceptional minds of our times has engaged over some six decades with an endlessly fascinating game – as a player, a spectator, a fan, a writer, and a cricket administrator. The narrative is as enchanting as the spin of Bedi and Prasanna, as charming as the batting of Viswanath or Hazare; it transports us out of our present miseries into a magic world where on a lazy afternoon the willow meets leather, making the loveliest sound in the world. As a writer on cricket, Ram is one of the greatest of all time, and this is a truly extraordinary book – one of the very best ever written on the wonderful game that so many of us love.”