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Virago acquires du Maurier family memoir by Daphne’s grandson
Virago has acquired the rights to a history of the du Maurier family written by Daphne du Maurier’s grandson.
Sarah Savitt, publisher of Virago, acquired world all-language rights to The Du Mauriers: A Family Portrait by Paul de Zulueta in an exclusive submission from Annabel Merullo at Peters Fraser & Dunlop.
The blurb describes the book as "a fascinating, intimate, revelatory family memoir". It focuses primarily on the Rebecca author, but also on Daphne du Maurier’s actor-manager father Gerald and caricaturist-novelist grandfather George, as well as a few key figures from further back, including Mary Anne Clarke, Daphne’s great-great-grandmother, mistress to the Duke of York, King George III’s younger brother.
Savitt said: "I’m thrilled to be working with Paul on what promises to be an entertaining and insightful portrayal of a revered writer and her fascinating family, who have contributed so much to literature and the arts. Paul has a gift for a telling detail, and his own memories of Daphne illuminate her humour and sense of fun, as well as her keen intelligence and vast imagination. Daphne du Maurier is one of the most important authors on the Virago list and a perennial source of pleasure and inspiration for readers as well as other writers, so we are delighted to publish this new biography."
De Zulueta said: “I am delighted to be working with Virago who have done so much to further my grandmother’s reputation as a writer and introduced her to new audiences with their visually striking editions. As a family portrait, I am much looking forward to bringing the family to life and their enduring contribution to our popular culture.”
De Zulueta is Daphne du Maurier’s eldest surviving grandchild, the son of Tessa, Daphne’s elder daughter. The memoir draws on de Zulueta’s access to private papers and letters sent to his grandmother as well as the archives at Exeter University, interviews and unpublished family photographs.
Virago will publish The Du Mauriers in hardback in September 2026.
