Malala's father strikes memoir deals in multiple territories

Malala Yousafzai’s dad, Ziauddin Yousafzai, has signed a book deal with Penguin Random House UK (PRH UK) imprint WH Allen.

What Love Teaches Me will be a "moving and inspirational" memoir, with a deeply personal look into the Yousafzai family. Jamie Joseph, senior commissioning editor at WH Allen, bought UK and Commonwealth rights through agent Karolina Sutton of Curtis Brown. 

PRH UK has said the book will be "a global publishing event" this November. It is publishing in tandem with Little, Brown (US), while rights have also been bought by Hanser Berlin in Germany, Anaya in Spain, Garzanti in Italy, Companhia das Letras in Brazil, Presenca in Portugal, Eksmo in Russia and Michel Lafon in France.

Written in collaboration with The Times Magazine journalist Louise Carpenter, according to PRH UK the book will trace Yousafzai’s journey "from an unconfident stammering little boy living in a mud hut in the mountainous region of Shangla to a man who has broken with tradition and proven there are many faces of feminism".

Yousafzai commented: "From the day Malala was born, I was determined to see her as a fully-fledged human being with all her rights and freedoms. My father had dreamt his dreams for me because I was lucky enough to be a boy born in the patriarchy. Malala’s story proves that if you have faith in your children irrespective of gender, they can achieve greatness and help build a better world for future generations."

Joseph said: "Malala’s phenomenal journey has inspired millions of readers and provided a stirring reminder of the power of speaking up in the face of intolerance. Ziauddin’s book provides, the first time, an intimate portrait of the values that inspired Malala and how love can overcome hatred and oppression."