Penguin India drops Sonia Gandhi’s memoir ‘Belonging’ after editorial changes row: Report

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) has reportedly decided against publishing Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s much-awaited memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love in India following a disagreement over editorial changes sought by the publisher.

According to The Indian Express, the dispute centred on a section of the manuscript where PRHI sought certain “editorial changes and deletions”, which Sonia Gandhi did not agree to.

The memoir is scheduled for an international release on November 10 through Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Knopf had earlier announced an initial print run of 1 lakh copies.

With Penguin India reportedly out of the picture, several publishers are said to be interested in the book. HarperCollins is reportedly close to finalising a deal to publish and distribute the memoir in India.

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir to chronicle personal journey

Belonging: A Journey of Love is expected to trace Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her move to India and marriage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The memoir is also expected to recount major tragedies that shaped her life, including the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. It will reportedly cover her entry into public life and her years at the centre of one of India’s most prominent political families.

The book is also expected to shed light on her decision not to become prime minister after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance came to power following the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

In the publisher’s announcement, Sonia Gandhi said much had been written about her family, but few accounts had explored “the truth of their motivations, their actions and even their human failings”.

She also said her memoir would offer readers a perspective on the social and political changes she had witnessed over six decades.

Sonia Gandhi has acknowledged that writing the book required her to step beyond the privacy she had maintained for decades.

Rahul Gandhi recalls mother’s decision to write memoir

The development comes days after Rahul Gandhi spoke about his mother’s memoir while paying tribute to his father on Rajiv Gandhi’s 82nd birth anniversary.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi addressed Sonia Gandhi as “Mama” and recalled the years following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.

He said he had watched his mother face the challenges that followed with “never-ending courage and dignity”, adding that only he and Priyanka Gandhi truly knew what she had endured after Rajiv Gandhi’s death.

Rahul Gandhi said he was proud that Sonia Gandhi had decided to share her story with millions of people who had followed and supported her.

“I know how hard it was for someone as private as you to tell the world your beautiful story,” he wrote, adding that he could imagine Rajiv Gandhi “smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia”.

Penguin India faces another memoir controversy

The reported dispute over Sonia Gandhi’s memoir comes months after Penguin India said it had “not printed” former Army chief General MM Naravane’s memoir Four Stars of Destiny, after Rahul Gandhi displayed a copy in Parliament.

Media reports had earlier published excerpts from the manuscript, including passages relating to the Galwan clashes and the Agnipath military recruitment scheme.