Tuskar Rock nabs three 'bold and thrillingly provocative' novels by Debré

The Serpent’s Tail imprint Tuskar Rock has nabbed three novels by French author Constance Debré, author of Love Me Tender (also published by Tuskar Rock).

Peter Straus and Colm Tóibín, who founded Tuskar Rock and curate the imprint’s list, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada but including audio, for the translations. The deal was struck with Hedi El Kholti, co-editor at US publishing house Semiotext(e).

Love Me Tender, which won the 2020 Prix Littéraire des Inrockuptibles in France, explores "the narrator’s separation from her young son by false allegations, and embarking on a new life of casual encounters with other women". Translated by Holly James, it was the first of Debré’s books to be translated into English, but was the second book in a "finely-honed, emotionally devastating" three-part trilogy of first-person narrative novels published in France between 2018-2022.

The other two novels in the trilogy are Play Boy (Stock), recounting "the dissolution of the narrator’s marriage to her husband, and the realisation of her lesbian identity", and Nom (Flammarion), an "astute dissection of the narrator’s aristocratic family history, and the death of her father".

Now, both Play Boy and Nom are to be published in English language editions by Tuskar Rock. In addition, the imprint will publish the novel Offenses (Flammarion), described as "a short, powerful novel" that is loosely inspired by Debré’s previous career as a litigator in Paris. 

Holly James will translate Play Boy, which will be released as a trade paperback in May 2024. Meanwhile, author of Art Monsters (Chatto & Windus) Lauren Elkin is set to translate Nom while Jeffrey Zuckerman will translate Offenses, which will be published in the spring and autumn of 2025.

Debré said: “I am very happy to work with Peter Straus and Colm Toibin at Tuskar Rock and it is a great mark of confidence that after Love Me Tender they have decided to publish all of my existing books."

Straus and Tóibín added: “We are delighted to have added three titles of Constance Debré’s, including Offenses, to Tuskar Rock. She is a singular, timely and important writer whose voice demands to be heard.”