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Bloomsbury's Bill Swainson has bought world rights in the first novel by renowned dancer and choreographer Carlos Acosta via agent Felicity Bryan.
The novel is set in Acosta's native Cuba and tells the story of the island from the 19th century, through the Revolution in the 1950s, and into the present day. It will be published in 2013, in a translation by Frank Wynne, translator of Michel Houllebecq's Atomised.
Swainson described the dancer as having "a real gift". He said: "The story unfolds in the present day, told by the teenage great-grandson of the first generations brought as slaves to Cuba from Africa. It is a bold, earthy and imaginative novel, packed with wonderful characters and the sights, sounds and smells of the island." Swainson promised extraordinary plot twists and fascinating insights into Cuba's history, "written in a voice that is warm, funny, intimate and convincing".
Carlos Acosta, born in Havana, and a former dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, joined the Royal Ballet in 1998 and became a principal guest artist in 2003. He has performed as guest principal artist with all the leading ballet companies around the world.
He published his autobiography No Way Home (HarperPress) in 2007.