Peepal Tree signs 'luminous' second novel by flipped eye founder Parkes

Peepal Tree Press has scooped Azúcar, the "luminous" second novel by flipped eye publishing founder Nii Ayikwei Parkes.

Publisher Jeremy Poynting acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from David Godwin at David Godwin Associates. The agency will be handling US and translation rights, as well as film and TV rights.

French rights for the novel were pre-empted by Laure Leroy at Éditions Zulma, who said: "I really love the atmosphere and the magic of Nii’s work, his ability to address philosophical questions while the story remains humorous and accessible. Also, the synergy he has with his translator meant that we could not let Azúcar go."

Scheduled for release in early 2023, Azúcar is set on a fictional Spanish-speaking Caribbean island and traces the stories of two residents with differing connections to the land. "Exploring what it means to belong to a place, Azúcar is a zany narrative replete with music and invention," the synopsis states. "Both satire and romance, it is the work of a prose stylist of the highest order."

Poynting said: “When a submission from Nii Ayikwei Parkes arrives on your desk you know you are in for something special, and Azúcar more than fulfilled my expectations. I loved the way it followed music around the circuit of the Atlantic, encompassing West Africa and the Caribbean, and took in love, revolution, food, and a brilliant sense of place, both real and imagined, all written in a luminous prose as lilting as the music it inhabits.”