Our Man In Frankfurt
Raj Kamal Jha is a writer whose imaginative talent can light up the night sky. Fireproof, his new novel, his third, is soon to be released at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The German edition is published by Goldmann of Verlagsgruppe Random House. They are publishing this very important book — a novel that begins on a night in February 2002 when a hundred Muslim men and women are burnt alive in Gujarat — as their lead autumn-winter title.
It’s the last night of February 2002. Before sunrise the next day, more than a hundred Muslim men, women and children will be killed, most of them burnt alive. Above a city on fire, some of the dead get together. And decide to take matters in their own hands. Propelled by rage and horror, Fireproof plumbs the harrowing depths of darkness. In prose breathtaking in its ability to evoke terror and, at the same time, tenderness, in a form so original it defies description, Raj Kamal Jha has created a work that could serve as a tract for our times. From the author of The Blue Bedspread and If You Are Afraid of Heights comes Fireproof, a fierce testimony to the ordinary nature of collective evil. And to the extraordinary power of individual conscience.
Below is the cover of the English edition, forthcoming from Picador; it is full of mystery and urgent appeal, like a dramatic moment from a film by M. Night Shyamalan.
The image on the cover also reminds me of the poster for the horror movie Scream.
Comment by nandini — September 18, 2006 @ 12:13 am
Oh I love Raj Kamal Jha’s work! (Although I did think “If You Are Afraid of Heights” didn’t quite live up to the standard set by “The Blue Bedspread”.) Can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
Comment by Sharanya — September 18, 2006 @ 10:16 am
If that’s really the cover image, that’s fantastic and original.
I suspect the Brits might use it, but the Americans won’t. At least not without altering it, or undercutting its power with a border or additional text, etc.
Have you noticed the very different sensibilities in cover design in the US and the UK, Amitava? The American book designer seems a lot more eager to rely on cliche than her/his British counterpart.
Comment by Teju — September 18, 2006 @ 11:56 am
There is fire in the writings of Raj Kamal Jha and I have already felt the heat in The Blue Bedspread and If You …. And eagerly waiting to touch the smouldering FIREPROOF.
Comment by Abdullah Khan — September 19, 2006 @ 3:12 am