Legend Press swoops for Marmery's 'astonishing' retelling of first woman story

Legend Press has swooped for Lilith by Nikki Marmery, a "breathtakingly impressive" feminist re-telling of the biblical story of the first woman in the Garden of Eden. 

Lauren Parsons, commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Ella Kahn at Diamond Kahn & Woods Literary Agency. Audio rights were acquired by W F Howes and German rights were sold to S Fischer Verlag in a pre-empt via The Fritz Agency. The novel will be published by Legend Press in the UK in October 2023. 

"The thought-provoking and ambitious themes explored in this novel are underpinned by a crystal-clear literary voice and a triumphantly engaging heroine, and I was thrilled by how fully Legend Press understood and embraced Nikki’s vision," said Kahn. "It is honestly difficult to fully express how brilliant and astonishing I think Lilith is: I cannot wait for readers to discover her!”

Lilith re-tells the story of the first woman who, according to the biblical fable, was banished from Paradise when she refused to obey Adam. In Mamery’s "impeccably researched" novel, Lilith seeks her revenge while meeting "a cast of characters similarly maligned or erased by patriarchal religion" including Noah’s wife, Norea, Jezebel and Mary Magdalene. The publisher wrote: "In the modern age, as she observes the catastrophic consequences of a world built on inequality, Lilith finally understands what must be done to correct the wrong done to women — and all humankind — at the beginning of time." 

Marmery commented: "I conceived Lilith as a novella in spring 2019. Throughout the strange new world of Covid lockdowns, she grew, bursting out of the limited scope I had initially imagined, to bestride 6,000 years of human history and hold the fate of the entire world in her hands. I am absolutely thrilled Legend Press is publishing my tale of the ultimate wronged woman, and the female fury and wisdom that might just save us all." 

Parsons said: "I am thrilled to be publishing Nikki’s extraordinary, riveting and utterly spellbinding retelling of Lilith’s story. From the moment I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The writing is compelling, the subject is inspiring and I can’t wait for readers to be equally swept away. Nikki has provided a powerful piece of writing that makes you stop and question matters you may otherwise have overlooked. This is historical fiction at its best.’