Canongate Books

24/01/2025

'Something fundamentally changed during this season of completely preventable horror. This is an account of a fracture, a breaking away from the notion that the polite, Western liberal ever stood for anything at all.

It may seem now like it's someone else's children, but there's no such thing as someone else's children.

The moral component of history, the most necessary component, simply a single question, asked over and over again: When it mattered, who sided with justice, and who sided with power?'

In 3 weeks we publish One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by . This is a book for those that have tired of moral emptiness. This is a book for everyone who wants something better.

17/01/2025

We’re very sad to hear of the death of David Lynch, one of the true greats of cinema and a brilliant visual artist. We were lucky and honoured to publish Lynch’s memoir Room to Dream.

Nothing Lynch ever produced was boring or conventional, and Room to Dream is no exception: it moves between chapters by Kristine McKenna – that capture the detail and chronology of Lynch's life, based on interviews and extensive research – and chapters by Lynch, in which he responds with the memories and stories she has prompted. The end product is as fascinating and compelling as Lynch’s films: as the introduction to the book says, it is “basically a person having a conversation with his own biography.”

(And the print book and audiobook are different as a result: when the time came to narrate his sections of the audiobook Lynch was clearly inclined to other stories and memories.)

Like many other people, Lynch’s work has meant a huge amount to me over the course of my life. He made unapologetically personal art in a form that – because of the money involved – seems almost antithetical to that kind of uncompromising individuality. We’re lucky to have had him.

This is how Lynch ends Room to Dream:
"MAY EVERYONE BE HAPPY
MAY EVERYONE BE FREE OF DISEASE
MAY AUSPICIOUSNESS BE SEEN EVERYWHERE
MAY SUFFERING BELONG TO NO ONE
PEACE”

02/01/2025

It's the first publication day of the year! Happiest of publication to:⁠
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THE BRIGHT SIDE – Sumit Paul-Choudhury
LET THE LIGHT POUR IN – Lemn Sissay
BLACK GHOSTS – Noo Saro-Wiwa
THE PROMISED PARTY – Jennifer Clement
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All available in your favourite local bookshop & online now, https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-today/⁠
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In THE BRIGHT SIDE, astrophysicist-turned-journalist Sumit Paul-Choudhury takes us on a deep dive into the power and science of optimism, offering practical suggestions on what it really takes to be an optimist today and, providing a powerful manifesto for hope and a much-needed new perspective on our prospects that will change the way you think for good. ⁠
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For the past decade, Lemn Sissay has composed a short poem as dawn breaks each morning. Life-affirming, witty and full of wonder, these poems chronicle his own battle with the dark and are fuelled by resilience and defiant joy. LET THE LIGHT POUR IN is a collection of the best of these poems, and a book celebrating this morning practice.⁠
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BLACK GHOSTS follows the travels of Noo, a Nigerian woman in China exploring the intersections and divides between the two cultures and the lives of African economic migrants in the bustling People’s Republic, shortlisted for the Edward Stanfords Travel Book of the Year⁠
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In THE PROMISED PARTY Jennifer Clement pens an ultra-vivid, carnivalesque memoir of her life growing up in 60s Mexico and 80s New York, exploring what it means to be young, free and alive at the centre of two of the greatest cultural moments of our time

18/11/2024

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig has sold 10 MILLION COPIES worldwide!! Thank you SO much to all the booksellers, bookbloggers and tockers, partner publishers, reviewers and of course amazing readers all around the globe who have made this possible. Congratulations Matt Haig!

14/11/2024

alert!

We're recruiting a talented, flexible & detail-oriented reader for an entry-level Editorial assistant role working with our Publisher-at-Large. Based in Edinburgh, salary and benefits in ad:

Current vacancies at Canongate – the award-winning independent book publisher based in Edinburgh and London.

13/11/2024

“We are kinder than we might think, but we could be kinder still - with enormous benefits to your personal mental health and well-being, as well as for society, the economy and the environment.”



The Keys to Kindness by Claudia Hammond is out now!

07/11/2024

Happy publication day to this beautiful stack of books!

A BALLET OF LEPERS – Leonard Cohen
THE CARETAKER – Ron Rash
CONSOLATIONS II – David Whyte
THE GAME CHANGERS – Tim Clare

All available now in your favourite local bookshop or online here https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-today !

A Ballet of Lepers is the uncovered novel from the world's greatest lyricist, Leonard Cohen. Meditative, surprising, playful and provocative, A Ballet of Lepers is vivid in its detail, unsparing in its gaze, and reveals the great artist and visceral genius like never before.

‘The writing captures all the gorgeous poeticism that we have come to love about his music, as well as a youthful naivete and a playfulness, a rawness that I wouldn't have predicted.’ OTTESSA MOSHFEGH

Set in a small Appalachian town, The Caretaker by award-winning author Ron Rash is a breathtaking love story and a searing examination of the acts we seek to justify in the name of duty, family, honour and love.

‘Ron Rash is an American master who writes the heart’s language with tremendous grit and grace’ PAUL LYNCH

A revelatory read to reorientate your life, David Whyte returns with fifty-two elegant meditations on a single word. Consolations II deepens David Whyte's exploration of all facets of our world through the prism of everyday words, inviting the reader to think more deeply about the choices that influence our lives.

‘We think we know what we are talking about, the meaning of things, the basic rules of language, until we read David Whyte’s Consolations where we are forced to reassess everything and begin again. Such an essential and beautiful book’ NICK CAVE

Filled with humour, thrill and insight, The Game Changers explores the world of games, showing how they have shaped human history and why we should play them.

'The best book on games I've read in years' G.T. KARBER, the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of MURDLE

31/10/2024

Happy UK publication day to EAT THE WORLD! An essential debut poetry collection from platinum-certified singer-songwriter , which shares her singular observations of the human heart through poetry which explores trauma, youth, and the highs and lows of relationships⁠
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Get your copy now! Available in all good bookshops and online: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/eat-the-world-marina-diamandis/7687010?ean=9781837262182
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‘The persona-driven approach that has informed many of [Marina's] lyrics is used here, the character an unmoored rock star. There’s brilliant phrasemaking and sharp observations throughout’⁠
Guardian ⁠
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‘Like the music, [Marina's] poetry is by turns surreal and straight, packed with lines that start out sweet and quickly sour. Eat the World explores love, bad boyfriends, youth and loneliness; the poems have gut-punch titles’⁠
Sunday Times

24/10/2024

Wishing a very happy publication day to Malachy Tallack’s That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz!⁠
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Set between 1957 on a whaling ship in the South Atlantic and present day Shetland, this is a story of unlikely friendship, longing, the power of music and the pull of home. That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz is a soulful and moving exploration of a life revisited – and reimagined.⁠
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Malachy has also released an accompanying album of the same name, featuring songs whose lyrics appear in the book.⁠
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Copies of the book and album available now, books at all good bookshops and both via this link: https://buythebook.online/that-beautiful-atlantic-waltz ⁠
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‘Wonderful’ ELVIS COSTELLO⁠
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‘A quiet marvel, a rich and gentle book of small moments, large lives and hidden miracles’ MARTIN MACINNES⁠
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‘Entrancing, enthralling and . . . I savoured every moment and morsel of it’ MICHAEL PEDERSEN

10/10/2024

Wishing a happy publication day to these two brilliant books!

HOW TO LOSE A COUNTRY by Ece Temelkuran
THE RADLEYS by Matt Haig

Copies available now, https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-today/

How to Lose a Country is an urgent call to action from one of Europe’s most well-regarded political thinkers and a field guide to spotting the insidious patterns and mechanisms of the populist wave sweeping the globe. It's a book for our times, which we're delighted to publish into our Canons.

‘Highly readable and vibrates with outrage’ THE TIMES

‘A brilliant analysis of how democracy can be starved to death. It's one of the most important books anyone could read at the moment’ Philip Pullman

THE RADLEYS, Matt Haig's darkly comic vampire novel publishes in a new film tie-in livery released alongside the Sky Original film starring Damian Lewis and Kelly McDonald

‘Addictive’ Daily Mail
‘Highly recommended’ Observer

07/10/2024

We're so happy by is number 5 on the Sunday Times bestseller list! We fell for this heart-warming true story of an unlikely friendship from the moment of reading the first proposal, so it's really special to see so many readers enjoying it.

It's no small thing for a debut memoir about nature to make the bestseller lists in the Autumn, even one as remarkable as this, so we also want to thank all the booksellers and reviewers who are championing Hare ❤️🐇

https://buythebook.online/raising-hare?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZqEepKhnr-WqGofG2txJLLwVDyx6XD7skU9xNP78CS0K7I6uZXJGbhQrY_aem_89c2IrQfXc_hFsOsjw1SHQ

26/09/2024

Happy publication day to this trio of hardbacks!

RAISING HARE – Chloe Dalton
TRANSFORMER – Neil Atkinson
THE BEAUTIFUL POETRY OF DONALD TRUMP – Rob Sears

All available now in your favourite local bookshop or online: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-today/

In RAISING HARE, Chloe Dalton moves back to the countryside of her childhood, looking for new meaning in her life, and instead finds an injured baby hare. Witness the extraordinary bonds that develop between human and animal and rediscover the wonders of nature and its wildlife in their heartwarming story.

‘A love letter to the natural world’ The Times

‘Written with tenderness and lyricism’ Angelina Jolie.

TRANSFORMER revisits the trailblazing career of former Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp. Neil Atkinson and have followed Klopp for nine years, absorbed by his approach to life and football that was driven by joy, passion and inclusivity. Transformer demonstrates how Jürgen Klopp redefined the sport and the city of Liverpool forever.

‘Nobody writes about football like Neil Atkinson.’ Johnathan Liew

‘[A]s if Maradona’s dribbling skills were translated into words.’ Frank Cottrell-Boyce

THE BEAUTIFUL POETRY OF DONALD TRUMP launches as a satirical new edition, the bigliest ever, from Rob Sears, which exposes the inner poet that exists under the former President’s slimy exterior. Featuring such incomparable modern classics as 'I am the least racist person there is', 'I have the best words', and 'I am rich'. Experience his outrageous quotes and tweets rearranged into poems and haikus. It's a new word order.

12/09/2024

Happy Paperback Publication Day to ISLAND DREAMS and TRUE NORTH by Gavin Francis

PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN by Shane McCrae

MY LADY PARTS by Doon Mackichan

and THE OUTRUN by Amy Liptrot 🌠

ISLAND DREAMS and TRUE NORTH are beautiful additions to our canons list, combining Gavin Francis' stories of his own travels with psychology, philosophy and myth, shedding new light on the importance of islands and the far north.

PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN is a powerful memoir of a kidnapping, it's VULTURE Best Memoir of the Year and a New Statesman Best Book of the Year.

MY LADY PARTS is the savage and sparkling story of a career spent defying stereotypes by acclaimed actress Doon Mackichan.

And THE OUTRUN has a gorgeous new look to tie in with the new film release, starring Saoirse Ronan 💙

Order your copy in store or online here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-today/

12/09/2024

Happy hardback publication day to these 5 beautiful books!

NEVERLAND – Vanessa Kisuule
THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WORLDS – Gavin Francis
BETWEEN TWO WATERS – Pamela Brunton
THE MANY LIVES OF JAMES LOVELOCK – Jonathan Watts
EXIT WOUNDS – Peter Godwin

Get your copy at your favourite local bookshop, or online!
https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-today/

In NEVERLAND, award-winning poet Vanessa Kisuule pens a love letter to the musicians we adore and an unflinching look at the costs of hero worship, as she asks us to explore how we shape relationships with artists in the public sphere, and the fandoms that accompany them

THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WORLDS collects 40 years of travel writing, architectural intrigue and philosophy pondering on bridges around the globe as he meditates on the place of the bridge in our culture, exploring how these structures can improve human connection

BETWEEN TWO WATERS offers an insider critique of the food business by award-winning chef Pam Brunton, interrogating sustainability in food culture and documenting the early days of her Green Michelin Star restaurant Inver

THE MANY LIVES OF JAMES LOVELOCK reveals the extraordinary life (MI5 Agent! Nasa Engineer! Scientist!) of the co-creator of Gaia Theory, James Lovelock, like never before

In EXIT WOUNDS, award-winning writer Peter Godwin reflects on middle age, family, love grief & the lives of exiles & refugees through exploring his changing relationships with the three women who shaped his life

29/08/2024

𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 . . . 🦞🌊✨

Wishing a HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY to Matt Haig, his magical life-affirming new novel THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE is out TODAY!

Copies (featuring beautiful endpapers from Neil Gower) are available nationwide in all the good places you'd get your books, and online! https://buythebook.online/thelifeimpossible

When retired Maths teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan. What follows is a story filled with wonder and wild adventure, hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

‘A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination’ BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

‘Wise and moving’ JOANNA CANNON, Guardian

‘Stunning. It's not only exquisitely written but has so much magic woven through it’ FEARNE COTTON

Pick up your copy today to embark on a spectacular new adventure, from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library.

22/08/2024

Wishing a happy publication day to Jordan Stephens, his blistering memoir exploring masculinity, mental health, addiction and heartbreak – Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak & Dogs – is out today, get your copy at your favourite local indie bookshop, or online >> https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/avoidance-drugs-heartbreak-and-dogs-jordan-stephens/7668296?ean=9781838858087

'Brutally honest as well as poetic'
DOLLY ALDERTON

'Necessary, urgent and totally original' AFUA HIRSCH

'Essential reading for men of all ages' CALEB FEMI

‘𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑰'𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, '𝑨𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒘.'

Love is a gift, isn’t it? From our early childhood years to growing up and pairing off, it’s a feeling we chase knowing we’re better off with it. But what if love is claustrophobic and conflicting? And what if at the same time we’re chasing addictions to drugs, drink, s*x and chaos?

Diagnosed twice with ADHD, Jordan Stephens found his teens and twenties a whirl of career success and nurturing friendships but also a brutal pattern of self-harm, hedonism, destructive coping mechanisms and heartbreak. When he tried to live up to his own damaged expectations and his world exploded, he stepped away from his previous existence completely and allowed himself to explore the pain he’d repressed his entire life.

Unsparingly digging into the fear, tenderness and trauma he carried in his body and mind, and the confusing assumptions of what a young man should be, Jordan Stephens discovers what it means to be a modern man, why we should all open ourselves up to life, and how the price we pay for love in all its forms is worth it.

15/08/2024

A story to bring the magic back to your everyday!

In two weeks we publish Matt Haig's new novel THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE 💫 It's the heart-warming, life-affirming read of the summer, from the author of the internationally bestselling THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

When retired Maths teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan. What comes next is stranger than she could have dreamed...

Have you pre-ordered your copy?
https://linktr.ee/thelifeimpossible