Headline announces Hislop's new novel The Figurine

Headline has announced a “timely” new novel from Victoria Hislop. 

The Figurine will be published on 28th September 2023 and takes as its inspiration the dubious acquisition of cultural treasures and the price people – and countries – will pay to cling on to them. 

The book is part of a two-book deal made in 2018 for UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada. Mari Evans, m.d., acquired from Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown.

The publisher said: “With her trademark talent for uncovering a historical footnote and turning it into a riveting bestseller, Victoria Hislop introduces her readers to Cycladic figurines – petite, marble statues that were found scattered around the islands of the Aegean Sea and date from the Bronze Age. They give Victoria a unique prism through which to explore the aftermath and legacy of the Junta, the brutal military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.” 

Evans said: “It’s always a treat to have a new novel from Victoria – she shines a light on the pivotal periods of European and specifically Greek history we often overlook or are simply unaware of and I drank in the detail of the ancient treasures as much as I basked in the warmth of the Aegean islands. All told, I emerged from The Figurine feeling enriched, with a newfound adoration for the beauty of Cycladic figurines, whose modernist styling belies their venerable age. And there’s so much food for thought in the pages of this novel, especially the serious question marks over cultural heritage and ownership of antiquities. I know Victoria’s many fans will be delighted to embark on this new journey with her in September.”

Hislop added: “I have been down a long and exciting path to write The Figurine. I had admired the beauty of the Cycladic figurine for so many years and began to understand what a huge influence they had on 20th century art. I also began to realise that their beauty has an irresistible and seductive power and wanted to write about the crime that such beauty and antiquity can drive people to. 

“My story is set during the period of the Junta, an army dictatorship that committed many crimes, effectively robbing people of their lives and driving others into exile. To me there seemed to be a striking parallel.

“I hope readers will be pulled into this period of history, and the question of where something, or someone, really belongs.”