Smith signs 'important' debut in first Fleet acquisition

Rhiannon Smith has made her first acquisition for Fleet: a debut novel telling the story of three generations of Brazilian women in London.

Entitled Stubborn Archivist, the book is authored by 25-year-old South Londoner Yara Rodrigues Fowler, who mixes poetry and prose and English and Portuguese in the book while exploring themes of family, identity, depression, politics and sexuality.

According to Rodrigues Fowler's agent, Imogen Pelham at Marjacq, the novel is "important, beautifully written and often funny, all at once".  

Commissioning editor Smith, who joined the Fleet editorial team last year, acquired world rights from Pelham, excluding North America. She said: "Yara’s writing is simply stunning, from the first pages of Stubborn Archivist I knew I wanted to publish it on the Fleet list. The originality of Yara’s debut is completely refreshing and I can’t wait to be able to get her book into the hands of readers."

Author Rodrigues Fowler is a trustee of the refuge Latin American Women’s Aid and has a Masters from UCL. She said: "I’m so happy to be publishing Stubborn Archivist with Rhiannon and Fleet. I feel very proud that this book – a book about south London, about dreaming in two languages, about the girls I grew up with, about being asked but where are you from – is going on such a brilliant list."

Fleet will publish in hardback and e-book in February 2019.