Faber snaps up a debut by a 19-year-old

The Bookseller - 15.09.10 - Anna Coatman


Faber has acquired the world rights to a debut novel by a 19 year-old Nigerian author, Chibundu Onuzo.

Editor Sarah Savitt bought world rights from Capel and Land for an undisclosed sum. Set in Nigeria, The Spider King’s Daughter tells the story of a romance between two young people from different backgrounds – a 17 year-old poverty-stricken hawker and the cosseted daughter of a wealthy businessman.

It was described by Faber as "a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, set against the backdrop of a changing Lagos, torn between tradition and modernity, corruption and truth, love and family loyalty".

Onuzo, a history student at King’s College London, was born in Nigeria in 1991 and is the youngest of four children. She said: "I’ve been writing since I was ten and fantasising about being published since I was fourteen, so to say I’m excited is an understatement."
The novel is due to be published in summer 2011.