Sulaiman Addonia Signs with Canongate to Publish Third Novel, The Seers

Sulaiman Addonia shared on social media this month that his third novel, The Seers, has been acquired by Ellah Wakatama for Canongate in the UK and Graywolf Press in the US.

The novel is set for publication in 2023.

Addonia tells The Bookseller, “I wrote it all on my iPhone and in about three weeks. It was like a volcano erupting with words, ideas and feelings that I had no control over. Writing about Hannah’s fast life in London was a thrilling ride that I’ll never forget.”

Read the synopsis for The Seers below:

Set around a foster home in Kilburn in north-west London, the novel explores the first weeks in the capital of an Eritrean unaccompanied minor refugee. Hannah arrives with her mother’s diary, containing a disturbing sexual story taking place in the same mountains of Keren, Eritrea, where the Allies defeated the Italians in the Second World War.

As well as giving a glimpse into the UK asylum system and what it does to the mental health of young refugees, and how the intergenerational history of colonisation affects sexual and intimate relationships, The Seers is also said to detail the sexual conquests of queer young African immigrants in London, who are fluid, trans and androgynous.

Wakatama is delighted to be working with Addonia on the project, sharing that “Sulaiman’s continued exploration of the intimate and erotic lives of those on the margins of society fascinates me. He is always brave and innovative; the work always feels urgent and necessary. He is one of the most thoughtful, ambitious and bold writers I know.” But this is not the first time that  Wakatama is working with Adonnia. Adonnia’s second book, Silence is My Mother Tongue, which was widely praised by critics, was published by Indigo press during Wakatam’s tenure as Publishing Director.

Not only can fans look forward to Addonia’s third novel, but also an Instagram debut in which he shares that he will “go deeper into the Erotic side of my work & highlight the fearless artists who inspire me.”

This says a lot, seeing that Adonnia’s last novel, Silence is My Mother Tongue, is steamily erotic. We are not complaining though!  Follow this link to read more about Adonnia’s thoughts on nudity, the erotic, and storytelling.  Click here to follow Sulaiman Addonia’s new Instagram page.

Adonnia, who is currently based in Brussels, was born in Eritrea to an Eritrean father and an Ethiopian mother. His early life spans Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the UK. His first novel, The Consequences of Love, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. His second novel, Silence is My Mother Tongue, his second novel, was longlisted for the 2019 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.

Congratulations to Sulaiman Addonia!