Ben Okri signs 'significant' new book with HoZ

Head of Zeus has signed rights to Man Booker Prize winner Ben Okri's "timely" new novel The Freedom Artist.

In the title, a young man grieving for his missing lover searches for answers, while a young boy embarks on a journey of ritual transformation to seek out the oldest myths. Their journeys play out against the disintegration of a society allegorical to our own.

"Okri’s latest novel is a penetrating examination of how freedom is threatened in a post-truth society. Weaving together myth and dystopia, he has crafted a powerful call to arms to defend our liberty", said the publisher. "The Freedom Artist is an impassioned plea for freedom and justice. It is angry, political, intriguing and significant."

Okri said: "This is a novel I have been wanting to write for a long time, a fist of light against a wall of darkness."

Maggie McKernan, editor at Head of Zeus, said: "This is Ben Okri’s most important and most significant novel since The Famished Road. As then, we see the world through the eyes of a magician, but this time our vision is troubled. The Freedom Artist is an impassioned call to the barricades. It will inspire you."

The publisher acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Georgina Capel.

Head of Zeus have also acquired rights to Okri’s backlist titles, Time For New Dreams and Tales of Freedom (originally published by Rider), which will be published in paperback next May.