Faber scoops Simon Hall's 'superb' historical retelling of revolutions in Russia, China and Cuba

Faber has acquired Three Revolutions: Russia, China, Cuba and the Epic Journeys that Changed the World by Simon Hall.

Associate publisher Laura Hassan bought world English-language rights from Sally Holloway at Felicity Bryan Associates, and the book will be published in July.

"From the streets of Petrograd in 1917, to Mao’s victory in 1949 and Castro’s triumphant arrival in Havana in 1959, the world was transformed by the Russian, Chinese and Cuban revolutions," the synopsis says. "Three Revolutions explores these epoch-defining events together – for the first time – through journeys. For at the heart of each revolution was an extraordinary journey: Lenin’s return to Russia from exile in Switzerland; Mao’s ‘Long March’; and Fidel’s arrival in Cuba aboard the Granma. Three brilliant journalists were on their trail – John Reed, Edgar Snow and Herbert L Matthews – and their electrifying front-line reporting shaped how these revolutions were understood around the globe."

Hall said: "Journey stories have captivated us for millennia, and it was a real thrill to be able to use journeys to bring together the stories of three of the 20th century’s pivotal revolutions. By exploring the extraordinary feats of three American journalists whose accounts of these revolutions proved influential and controversial, Three Revolutions raises important questions about the role reporters have played, and continue to play, in how we understand the world."

Hassan added: "This is the untold story of how six epic journeys launched the communist revolutions that changed the 20th century. In Hall’s superb retelling, the extraordinary drama, the incredible cast and exhilarating events are brought vividly to life."