Cape wins seven-way auction for Kae Tempest's 'groundbreaking' second novel

Jonathan Cape has won a seven-way auction to acquire the second novel from award-winning writer Kae Tempest in a major deal, entitled Having Spent Life Seeking.

Željka Marošević, editorial director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Nicola Chang at David Higham Associates.  

Having Spent Life Seeking will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in spring 2026. As well as the seven-way auction in the UK, rights have been pre-empted in Germany by Suhrkamp Verlag and in France by Éditions de l’Olivier. 

“Having Spent Life Seeking is a groundbreaking coming-of-age and state-of-the-nation novel about redemption, transformation and freedom against all odds,” the publisher said.  

“It is 2025. Rothko has been out of prison for six months and today is the first day of the rest of their life, a life which they are trying to put back together after losing sight of it 20 years ago. But everywhere they turn, they keep coming up against the past. 

“Back in 2005, 15-year-old Rothko is on the verge of getting kicked out of school. Nothing in their life makes sense to them apart from Dionne Troy – the girl from school who kisses Rothko like there’s nothing wrong with them. A couple of wrong turns set in motion a chain of events that will dictate the course of Rothko’s life – and the lives of those around them – forever.” 

Cape said: “A propulsive family epic about the search for freedom against all odds, Having Spent Life Seeking is a story about love and courage, the human will to change and the power of redemption and compassion.”

Tempest was most recently published by Picador but also has been published by Bloomsbury and Faber.  

They said: “I’ve given everything to this novel. It’s precious to me and I was so protective over the characters as I was writing it, but Cape felt like the perfect home for them, for the book and for me.” 

Marošević said: “Having Spent Life Seeking is a landmark work of British fiction, a liberatory novel about what it means for a person to be allowed to transform, come into themselves and love. This is a novel that transcends convention and commands language into new, supple, capacious forms and I know it will heal hearts and change lives. We’re so proud to welcome Kae to Jonathan Cape and Vintage.” 

Tempest is a poet, writer, lyricist, performer and recording artist, named a Next Generation Poet in 2014 and they received the Ted Hughes Award for their long-form narrative poem ‘Brand New Ancients’. The documentary “Being Kae Tempest” was broadcast on BBC Two last year.