Memoir written from a Turkish prison cell to Granta Books

Granta Books is to publish I Will Never See the World Again, the "profoundly moving" memoir of Ahmet Altan, written from the jail in which he is serving a life sentence.

Turkish novelist, journalist and human rights defender Altan was arrested along with his brother Mehmet in September 2016 as part of a wave of arrests of thinkers and writers following the failed coup against President Erdoğan.

In February 2018 the brothers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. There has been widespread condemnation of their conviction. Earlier this year, fifty-one Nobel Laureates signed a petition for their release.

Commissioning editor Anne Meadows said: "In Ahmet Altan’s lyrical account of his confinement and his hopes, we have found a work of both great importance and great beauty. It is an honour to be publishing Altan in the UK."

Meadows acquired world English language rights from Clementina Liuzzi at the Clementina Liuzzi Literary Agency in an exclusive submission. Rights have also been sold to Fischer (Germany), Samlaget (Norway), Debate/Random House (World Spanish), Solferino/RCS (Italy), and De Bezige Bij (Netherlands).

Granta Books will publish I Will Never See the World Again, translated by Yasemin Çongar, in March 2019.