Former Granta staffer's debut sells in three languages

Translator and former Granta publicist Saskia Vogel’s debut I Am a Pornographer has secured a flurry of deals in the UK, Sweden and Spain.

A "raw, fresh, haunting, emotionally and sexually honest" novel about the politics and economics of pleasure and bodies, patriarchy and everyday misogyny, I Am a Pornographer was acquired by Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher at Little, Brown imprint Dialogue Books from Marina Penalva at the Pontas Agency.

Lovegrove, who bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada, said: "I am absolutely delighted to be publishing the outstanding virtuosity of Saskia Vogel. From the first page I was utterly engrossed by [protagonist] Echo's explosive, tender and bold quest for freedom. This is a story that a generation has been waiting for from a debut of exceptional, exploratory talent."

Dialogue Books will publish I Am a Pornographer as its lead title in Spring 2019.

The Spanish rights were acquired by Alpha Decay publishers, the Spanish publishers of Chris Kraus, Sheila Heti, and David Lynch, with I Am a Pornographer to be included in their collection ‘Héroes Modernos’. The publisher said: "Behind the apparent provocative title there is a high level literary piece, a clear prose with a lyrical and delicate tone and a way of narrating that is more revealing by what it doesn’t say than by what it explicitly shows."

In Sweden, new publishers Mondial snapped up the rights. A spokesperson for the press said: "We've read this - and we love it. We’re young, contemporary but still commercial, and we have an eclectic list we're very proud of. We don't publish anything we don't love."

Vogel, who writes in English and is also fluent in Swedish, German and Spanish, said: "The news that I Am a Pornographer has found a home in three languages that define my life and family is beyond thrilling. I'm inspired by Dialogue's bold political and creative vision and can't wait to work with Sharmaine to bring this novel into the world."

Penalva added: "This is not only an intelligent, magical and unique debut, it is also just the tip of the iceberg of Saskia Vogel’s potential as fiction writer. Her talent, ambition and dedication to literature are immense, and it is great to see her hard work rewarded in this way. Her contribution to the global literary conversation is fresh and exciting and leaves you longing to hear/read more."

Pontas is handling North American, audiovisual and all translation rights directly. For further rights enquiries contact marina@pontas-agency.com.