New Delhi : Penguin Random House India has denied reports that it abandoned Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s highly anticipated memoir after she refused to accept editorial changes and deletions proposed by the publisher. The publishing house said it is not the publisher of ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love in India’ and said reports suggesting it decided against publishing the book because Gandhi declined editorial changes were inaccurate.
The clarification follows a report by The Indian Express that Penguin Random House India had pulled out of publishing the memoir after Gandhi rejected proposed changes and deletions to part of the manuscript. Penguin India, in its statement, said fact-checking manuscripts and making editorial recommendations are a normal part of the publishing process. The publisher added that during the discussions, its position was that it remained “willing and keen to publish the book”.
‘Belonging’ traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her life in India after her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi. It also chronicles her years as the daughter-in-law of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The memoir covers Gandhi’s eventual entry into politics after years of resisting pressure to take the plunge. It also recounts her decision in 2004 to decline the prime minister’s post after the Congress-led alliance won the general election.
The book has attracted considerable attention because Gandhi has largely stayed away from writing a conventional autobiography. She has previously authored and edited books, but people who have worked on the memoir have described it as “her most personal and definitive account of her life”. Knopf has described Belonging as a memoir about “love, family” and India, calling Gandhi one of the world’s most prominent women leaders.
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