Viking pre-empts Anne Curry's debut trade book on Joan of Arc

Viking has pre-empted Woman, Warrior, Witch: The Life and Afterlives of Joan of Arc, the debut trade book by Anne Curry.

Commissioning editor Evangeline Stanford acquired world all-language rights from Adam Gauntlett at PFD.

"On 22nd March 1429, Joan of Arc set out on a mission to free the besieged city of Orléans with an impassioned, personal and unsophisticated plea for the English to withdraw from France," the synopsis says. "Remarkably, she achieved this mission. Yet, two years later, Joan was tried for defying the teachings of the church and rebelling against contemporary expectations of what it meant to be a woman. She was burned for heresy in the Market Place of Rouen, but her legacy lives on."

The blurb adds: "Woman, Warrior, Witch is the definitive story of the life and afterlives of this extraordinary saint, who has lived on for six centuries as a figurehead for women’s rights, a freedom fighter, political icon and creative muse."

Curry, who is emeritus professor of medieval history at the University of Southampton, said: "My first conference in France in 1979 commemorated the 550th anniversary of the liberation of Orléans by Joan of Arc. I have spoken about her in England and France many times since, and look forward so much to this new opportunity to share my work and thoughts on Joan. She is truly a heroine for all times."

Stanford added: "It is such a privilege to be working with Anne. I can’t think of a better author to re-introduce readers to the legendary figure of Joan of Arc. Anne is a fantastic writer and one of the world’s foremost experts on this period of history – with her very own hologram in the Joan of Arc Museum in Rouen. Woman, Warrior, Witch will be a groundbreaking biography that explores the myriad interpretations of Joan across history, literature and popular culture over the past six centuries."