Granta lands Newman's 'inspired' retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four

Granta has bagged Sandra Newman's "extraordinary" retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four, told from the point of view of Julia from George Orwell's original novel.

Publisher Jason Arthur acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for Julia from Victoria Hobbs at A M Heath. North American rights have been acquired by Peter Hubbard and Nicole Angeloro at Mariner Books, the longstanding US publisher of Orwell.

"It was the man from Records who began it, him all unknowing in his prim, grim way, his above-it-all oldthink way, " the book begins. "He was the one Syme called 'Old Misery'. Comrade Smith was his right name, though 'Comrade' never suited him somehow. Of course, if you felt foolish calling someone 'Comrade', far better not to speak to them at all." 

The reader encounters the same events as those played out in Orwell's novel but every incident is "transformed" by being recalled through the eyes of Winston Smith's love Julia, who "understands the world of Oceania far better than Winston and is essentially happy with her life". 

"She has known no other world and, until she meets Winston, never imagined one," the synopsis explains. "She's opportunistic, believing in nothing and caring not at all about politics. She routinely breaks the rules but also collaborates with the regime whenever necessary. She's an ideal citizen of Oceania. But when one day, finding herself walking toward Winston Smith in a long corridor, she impulsively hands him a note—a potentially suicidal gesture—and she comes to realise that she's losing her grip and can no longer safely navigate her world."

Arthur said: "Whether you read it at school, as a teenager, in adulthood even if you have never actually read the book, you know Nineteen Eighty-Four. It’s probably the most iconic English novel of the 20th century; one that has seeped into our culture in innumerable ways. Sandra Newman’s Julia is extraordinary: a retelling of this iconic novel by one of this generation’s most original and talented writers. And this inspired novel will be matched by a creative, innovative campaign that will bring it to market in a truly exciting way. I believe it will be one of the most exciting event publications of the year."

Bill Hamilton, literary executor of the Orwell Estate, added: "I am delighted by Sandra Newman’s imaginative retelling of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four through the eyes of Julia. Two of the unanswered questions in Orwell’s novel are what Julia sees in Winston, and how she has navigated her way through the party hierarchy. Sandra gets under the skin of Big Brother’s world in a completely convincing way which is both true to the original but also gives a dramatically different narrative to stand alongside the original. The millions of readers who have been brought up with Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four will find this a provocative and satisfying companion."

Newman is the author of the Women's Prize for Fiction-longlisted The Country of Ice Cream Star (Chatto & Windus), The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done (Vintage), which was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Cake (Vintage) and The Heavens (Granta), as well as the memoir Changeling (Chatto & Windus) and How Not to Write a Novel (Collins). Her latest novel, The Men, is forthcoming in 2022. Granta’s publication of Julia will follow the paperback publication of The Men in 2023.