Viking to publish debut novel by poet Yomi Ṣode

Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is set to publish the début novel by poet Yomi Ṣode after an exclusive submission. Isabel Wall, publisher at Viking, acquired world rights to The Interpreter by Yomi Ṣode, the début novel from the highly acclaimed poet and author of Manorism, following an exclusive submission from Salma Begum at Greyhound Literary Agency.

The new book is a speculative literary début novel that draws on the supernatural and West African traditions to examine Black British identity.

Ṣode’s début collection (Penguin Press) was published in October 2022 alongside a stage adaptation at the Southbank Centre, and was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the TS Eliot Prize. He was also shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize 2021, and received the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship in 2019.

Wall said: “I’ve long been an admirer of Yomi Ṣode’s work, both his poetry and his writing for the stage, so when the chance to publish his début novel came along, I leapt at it. Yomi is a gifted storyteller whose bold and inventive writing illuminates and expands our understanding of the world in which we live. I’m thrilled to be bringing him to Viking with The Interpreter.”

Ṣode said: "It’s an honour to join the Viking family and their incredible list of authors with my début novel, The Interpreter. This story has been journeying with me for a while and I hope readers will hold it close to their hearts."