Press release 7th November 2018

Swedish literary debut DR. B. by Daniel Birnbaum instant

international success
Following a very fruitful Frankfurt Book Fair for Bonnier Rights, which saw a surge in bids for
author Daniel Birnbaum’s debut novel DR. B., which was preempted in very impressive deals
by Gallimard (France), Piper Verlag (Germany), La Nave di Teseo (Italy) and Querido Uitgeverij
(The Netherlands) during the fair, with no signs of slowing down. This week saw fresh deals
with the English language rights being snapped up by HarperCollins (US) and 4th Estate (UK),
as well as Assirio & Alvim (Portuguese EU) and Rahva (Estonia) acquiring rights.

“My novel mainly takes place in Stockholm, but the characters are just travelling through. They
want to go to new countries and new continents. I do feel that my story has relevance outside
of a Swedish readership, and I am overjoyed that the book will now reach readers in so many
different parts of the world.” says author Daniel Birnbaum.

The idea to write a book originated when Birnbaum found a box of letters belonging to his
grandfather Immanuel Birnbaum hidden in his attic. These would become the basis for DR B,
the larger-than-life true story of a hitherto unknown World War II drama, played out in the
world of book publishing, émigrés, spies and diplomats in 1940s Stockholm, drawing
comparisons to Lara Prescott’s We Were Never Here.

‘How happy we are to have his brilliant novel on our list…We are very proud to be added to the
list of distinguished foreign publishers,’ said Terry Karten, Executive Editor at HarperCollins US.

‘Daniel Birnbaum’s novel is not only an important piece of literary history about his
grandfather. DR B shows what happens when the fate of a single German anti-Nazi journalist
becomes a universal destiny,’ said Alain Gnaedig, Editor of Translated Fiction, Gallimard

Daniel Birnbaum is the Director of Moderna Museet, the Modern Museum of Art, in
Stockholm, until the end of 2018 when he departs to become Director of cutting edge VR
company Acute Art in London. He has previously managed both museums and art schools in
Germany and Italy, and curated the Venice-Biennale in 2009. DR. B. is his first novel, telling
the story of his grandfather, Immanuel Birnbaum.

‘We knew the minute we saw the first draft manuscript that DR. B. was something very special
– a once in a lifetime story, really – and we’re thrilled to bring it to a wider international
audience. Seeing the book acquired by so many of the world’s finest publishers is a treat
indeed,’ says Elisabet Brännström, Head of Bonnier Rights and literary agent.

For further information, please contact:

Elisabet Brännström
Head of Agency & Literary Agent
Bonnier Rights
elisabet.brannstrom@bonnierrights.se

About HarperCollins (US)

Founded by James and John Harper in NYC in 1817, HarperCollins Publishers would grow to
become the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world. HarperCollins has over 120
book imprints, most of which are based in the United States, including Ecco, Harlequin,
Harper and William Morrow.

About 4th Estate (UK)

Founded in Notting Hill in 1984, and acquired by HarperCollins in 2000, 4th Estate is one of the
most innovative imprints in the publishing industry. From fiction to cookery, biography to
polemic, 4th Estate is the home of literature at its best.

About Editions Gallimard (FR)

Editions Gallimard is a renowned French publishing house founded in 1911 by Gaston
Gallimard, André Gide and Jean Schlumberger. In the course of its esteemed history, it has
published a host of Prix Goncourt, Nobel and Pulitzer prizewinning authors, including Albert
Camus, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and George Orwell. In a parallel with Bermann-Fischer, it
was also forced to relocate for the duration of the occupation during World War II.

About Bonnier Rights

Bonnier Rights was established in 2003. The literary agency is owned by the Swedish Bonnier
Publishing Group, and it represents a carefully selected number of authors published by
Bonnier and other publishing houses, for translation as well as film and tv rights.

The agency's clients include authors such as Håkan Nesser, Mari Jungstedt, Lina Wolff, Maria
Adolfsson, Lina Bengtsdotter, Kerstin Ekman and Maria Sveland.