Karen Sullivan, Publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce that Christopher MacLehose will be leading Orenda’s first-ever imprint.
MacLehose, whose Mountain Leopard Press list was sold by Welbeck to Hachette in December 2022, will now publish Open Borders Press as an associate list of Orenda Books. Orenda and the new imprint have much in common, sharing a culture and approach, and MacLehose says that Open Borders Press is grateful to be able to take advantage of Orenda’s dynamic and responsive operation.
Having commissioned translations from thirty-seven languages during his years as a publisher, MacLehose will continue to look for authors of exceptional quality from all over the world.
The list will endeavour to match the success of the Harvill Press and MacLehose Press models in publishing the best literary fiction and non-fiction, much of it in translation, as well as crime fiction (exclusively in translation) written by outstanding storytellers. The quality of the translations and of every aspect of the design of the books will be paramount.
Koukla MacLehose, who founded the celebrated scouting agency that bore her name, will work with the Press.
The first title under the new imprint, Andrey Kurkov’s Our Daily War, a sequel to the international bestselling Diary of an Invasion – a deeply personal account of the continuing war in Ukraine – will be published in the summer.
Karen Sullivan says, ‘I have long admired Christopher, both for the energy and ingenuity he brings to the industry, but also for his unerring eye, his profound and purposeful support of literature in translation, and his uncanny ability to seek out literary gems. It is an honour and a joy to work closely with him, and his publishing vision for Open Borders Press very much reflects Orenda’s ethos and complements our output.
‘As we approach our tenth anniversary, it feels like the right time to embrace this opportunity, and we are looking forward to what is bound to be an indomitable partnership. OBP’s first published title, Andrey Kurkov’s Our Daily War, is a powerful, insightful and unexpectedly humorous book, and being involved in publishing Ukraine’s finest writer is an absolute privilege.’
You can reach Christopher MacLehose on Christopher@maclehose.net or +44 7711 696098
Andrey Kurkov’s Our Daily War will be published in hardback in July 2024.
