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Bloomsbury Trade wins Olia Hercules' memoir in 13-way publisher auction
Bloomsbury Trade has won a memoir by cookery writer Olia Hercules in a 13-way publisher auction.
Alexis Kirschbaum, head of Bloomsbury Trade, bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family Story through War, Exile and Hope from Ariella Feiner at United Agents in a 13-way auction.
"Strong Roots is the story of a century in Ukraine told through four generations of one extraordinary family," the synopsis says. "It takes us from years of Russification, to Olia’s grandmother’s deportation to snowy wastelands under Stalin, to her aunt Zhenia’s school protest, to her own parents’ flight from Ukraine when their town was occupied in 2022."
Kirschbaum said: "Olia has written an affecting and humane portrait of her and her family’s story in Ukraine. The passion on each page will bring more attention to the Ukrainian cause than any news bulletin ever could. Bloomsbury couldn’t be prouder to be publishing such an important, strong and poignant book."
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Hercules added: "I have wanted to write this book since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, and I feel so fortunate to have found support at Bloomsbury to finally make it happen. It is, I believe, an important story to tell just now – both the history of my own family, and that of millions of Ukrainians at home and in exile around the world."
Feiner said: "When Olia first mentioned the idea of writing a family memoir to me, well over a decade ago, I immediately knew that this would be a deeply special book. Sadly, we could have never known then how urgent it would feel to publish Strong Roots now. The vitality and passion in Olia’s writing is exquisite and the deep love she has for her homeland shines through on every page."
