W&N wins award-winning poet Antrobus' ‘story of deafness’ in nine-way auction

W&N has acquired An Investigation of Missing Sound, the debut work of non-fiction by award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus, in a nine-way auction.

Publishing director Alexa von Hirschberg acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from David Evans at David Higham, on behalf of Niki Chang while on parental leave. An Investigation of Missing Sound will be published in spring 2025 in hardback, audio and e-book.

Described as “a ground-breaking story of deafness”, An Investigation of Missing Sound spans Antrobus’ experiences from childhood to fatherhood: beginning with his diagnosis of deafness and his first pair of hearing aids, through to adolescent concerns of inhabiting his body and finding his voice, as a budding actor, swimmer and poet, and finally examining how echoes of the past resonate through adulthood.

Over the course of the book, he interrogates what he describes as the "betweenness" of the deaf and hearing worlds; the parallel education systems; how masculinity complicates the frustrations and shame of miscommunication; his formative introduction to literature, as a way to connect with his mother; how the deaf body is "performed" – by displaying a hearing aid, by signing; and the ways in which deaf performers have overturned these expectations.

Throughout, Antrobus sets his story alongside those of deaf cultural figures, historic and contemporary, the famous and under-recognised, including the painter and silent film actor Granville Redmond, the poet David Wright, and the actor and "Strictly Come Dancing" winner Rose Ayling-Ellis – the models of deaf creativity he did not have growing up.

Alexa von Hirschberg said: “I am deliriously happy that Raymond Antrobus is coming to W&N. I love his vision, intelligence and literary dexterity and I believe that, in An Investigation of Missing Sound, those qualities in combination with his deeply emotional story will produce a future classic. At its heart it is a compelling memoir that takes the reader from the author’s childhood to the present day.

“An unforgettable, intimate and moving story about deafness that also explores themes of race, fatherhood, masculinity, sexuality and class. But it is so much more than this – a formally daring, cultural history of deafness, a high-wire literary act, and a work of profound political importance. Raymond’s powerful experiences of growing up deaf in a hearing world – the betweenness he writes of – will start conversations about disability and visibility, about how we educate our children and create greater awareness of D/deaf communities.”

Antrobus said: “I am honoured and excited that An Investigation of Missing Sound has found a home at W&N. Alexa and the team have shown real heart and understanding for both my societal and literary hopes with this book. As a poet, publishing prose is a new lane for me but the form serves this particular project in a challenging and necessary way. I can’t wait for this book to find its readers.”

Evans commented: “It’s been a joy to see how passionately publishers have responded to Raymond’s proposal, with admiration for the craft and resonance of his prose and with such enthusiasm and care for his story, throughout an incredibly competitive auction.”

Antrobus is the author of three poetry titles: To Sweeten Bitter (Out-Spoken Press), The Perseverance (Penned in the Margins) and All The Names Given (Picador), as well as a forthcoming collection to be published by Picador. His work has won the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Ted Hughes Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, and his poems have been added to GCSE syllabi. He is also the author of a children’s book, Can Bears Ski? (Walker Books), which became the first story to be broadcast on the BBC entirely in British Sign Language. Antrobus was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2020 and appointed an MBE in 2021.