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HarperCollins imprint William Collins has acquired the rights to the biography of architect Zaha Hadid.
Queen Zaha, by Pulitzer-prize winning authors Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan, will be the first comprehensive biography of the Iraqi-British architect.
The deal for UK & Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) was negotiated by Williams Collins publishing director Arabella Pike with Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh. North American rights were acquired from Conville & Walsh by Gabriella Doob, senior editor at Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins US.
Hadid is a globally recognised architect of the modern period and is frequently credited with developing an entirely new architectural language in her quest for what she described as "complex, dynamic and fluid spaces".
Her buildings include the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein (Germany), the Guangzhou Opera House (China), Rosenthal Center of Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (US), Riverside Museum in Glasgow (Scotland), the London Aquatics Centre (UK) and the Heydar Aliyev Center (Azerbaijan).
Written with a research grant from, and the full cooperation of Hadid’s estate, Queen Zaha will offer an "intimate portrait of Hadid" and a nuanced exploration of her legacy in the field of architecture. The authors have already conducted significant research and the book is due for publication in 2029.
Stevens said: “Zaha Hadid was a great original, a visionary who hoped to reshape the world. She was also a flamboyant woman from Iraq who lived in a sceptical London. A marvellous character. It’s an emblematic story.”
Swan said: “Hadid, an outspoken, immensely talented Iraqi woman in the male-centric world of Western architecture, struggled for years to break through, only to become one of the most celebrated of contemporary architects.”
Pike said: “Mark and Annalyn are a dream team. Their biography of Francis Bacon was a triumph of both scholarship and writing, a book I was proud to publish. I’m excited they are now turning their considerable gifts to this visionary architect.”
Helen Atsma, vice-president and publisher at Ecco, said: “We are thrilled to bring Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan to the Ecco list with this landmark biography.”