Sonia Gandhi’s memoir 'Belonging' faces setback as Penguin India pulls out over proposed changes

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) will not publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s much-awaited memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love in India after the publisher sought changes and deletions in parts of the manuscript that were not accepted by the author.

Penguin India pulls out of publication

According to a report by The Indian Express, PRHI was expected to handle the Indian publication of the memoir but has now decided against doing so. Sources cited by the newspaper said the decision followed requests for certain “editorial changes and deletions” in a portion of the manuscript. The nature of the proposed changes has not been disclosed.

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The report said Sonia Gandhi rejected the requested alterations, leading to Penguin India’s exit from the project.

HarperCollins reportedly in the race

With Penguin India out, other major publishers are reportedly looking to take over the Indian publication and distribution rights. As per the report, HarperCollins is believed to be close to finalising an agreement.

The memoir is scheduled to be released on November 10 by Alfred A Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House. Knopf had earlier announced an initial print run of 100,000 copies.

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Sonia Gandhi’s most personal memoir

The book is being positioned as a deeply personal account of Sonia Gandhi’s life, family and decades of involvement in Indian public life. Knopf described it as a memoir exploring “love, family” and India through the experiences of one of the world’s prominent women leaders.

In the publisher’s announcement, Sonia Gandhi said that although much had been written about her family, relatively few accounts had explored their motivations, actions and human failings. She also said her story would provide readers with a perspective on the social and political changes she witnessed over six decades.

As per The Indian Express report, questions sent to Alfred A Knopf, the US-based publisher, and Gandhi’s literary agent David Godwin, but they were unavailable for comment. PRHI CEO Gaurav Shrinagesh was also approached regarding the requested changes but did not respond.