Penguin Press pre-empts Hu AnYan's ' perspective-shifting' memoir

Penguin Press has secured a memoir, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, by Chinese writer Hu AnYan.

Ka Bradley, senior commissioning editor at the imprint, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Abner Stein. Patrizia van Daalen, content director at Astra House, bought world rights and will publish the book in North America in autumn 2025 and Allen Lane will publish in hardback simultaneously.

Penguin Press said: “Hu AnYan is a Chinese writer, worker and creator. In the 20 years following his high school graduation in 2000, he held 19 different ‘low-end’ jobs in various cities across China, including convenience store clerk, bicycle salesman and security guard.

“In 2020, a blog post based on his experience as a delivery driver in Beijing went viral, leading to the publication of his bestselling first book, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing [published in China by Insight Media], a sharp, unsentimental, and quietly humorous look into life at the urban margins."

Bradley said: “Within mere paragraphs, I was gripped by Hu AnYan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing. This remarkable memoir – these vivid feuilletons from the frontline of China’s mega-cities – struck me not only as a valuable and perspective-shifting portrait of modern China, but as the announcement of a major literary talent. Witty, fresh and personable, Hu’s entrancingly narrative dispatches recall Raymond Carver stories and George Orwell’s best reportage. I am thrilled that we will be publishing him at Allen Lane.”

Marleen Seegers of 2 Seas Agency, who handles international rights on behalf of Astra House, said: “It’s been wonderful to see the reactions of international publishers so far. Hu AnYan brings an urban, literary voice from China that many people have been waiting for. I’m beyond excited that Penguin Press will be bringing him to a UK readership. We’ve received strong interest from many other countries at the LBF, so I am sure that further international sales will follow in the next couple of days.”