Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

Black Inc. acquires Murray’s ‘The Biographer’s Lover’

Black Inc. publisher Aviva Tuffield has acquired Australian author Ruby J Murray’s second novel, The Biographer’s Lover.

Set to be published in August 2017, The Biographer’s Lover is a dual narrative that switches perspectives between a biographer and her subject, the Australian artist Edna Whitedale. It follows the biographer, as she grapples with the moral questions raised by her decisions during the project.

Murray told Books+Publishing the novel draws on her own family history. ‘A lot of biographies were written about [my grandfather sculptor Guy Boyd’s] generation,’ said Murray. ‘It was complicated for both the biographers and their subjects. A biographer wants to understand their subject’s deepest motivations and urges. But, as humans, we’re not singular; each situation brings out a new side in us.’

Tuffield, who previously worked on Murray’s debut Running Dogs (Scribe), described the book as ‘an elegant and engrossing novel that explores how we choose to value and record artists’ lives, and the role gender plays in the ways we represent … our private versus our public selves’. On reuniting with Murray, Tuffield said, ‘I am delighted to be working with [her] again and thrilled that she has chosen to follow me to Black Inc.’

 

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions