Cornerstone wins eight-way auction for Noemi Orvos-Tóth's book on intergenerational trauma

Cornerstone Press has won an eight-way auction to Inherited Fate, offering a psychoanalytic approach to intergenerational trauma, by Hungarian psychologist Noemi Orvos-Tóth.  

Publisher Helen Conford acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Matilda Forbes Watson at WME and will publish the book in May 2025 with Vanessa Phan as editor. Tracy Fisher at WME is selling rights internationally and has sold them in 20 other languages. Orvos-Tóth will be attending the London Book Fair where international publishers will gather to celebrate her work. 

Cornerstone said: “An extraordinary success in her native Hungary, where it has sold over 300,000 copies, Inherited Fate is rooted in Orvos-Tóth’s psychoanalytic approach to intergenerational trauma. Unpicking how our wounds can be passed unconsciously from one generation to the next, it offers readers the opportunity to confront and move beyond their family heritage.” 

Conford said: “Inherited Fate is a fascinating framework for discovery of the self, the dismantling of inherited beliefs and the revelation of wisdom stored in the body on a cellular level. It’s a great honour to bring this work to an English-reading audience and be part of an international movement seeking to change how we engage with our past, present and future as individuals and family members.” 

Orvos-Tóth said: “To understand the difficulties of the present, we must look to the past. The suffering of previous generations is stored in our cells, and their disappointments and negative experiences lie hidden in the depths of our blockages. A transgenerational approach can open the way to a better understanding of ourselves and to real change. I hope that Inherited Fate will take the reader one step closer to this.”