Abacus acquires Keiran Goddard’s ‘lyrical and intense’ novel
Abacus is set to publish Keiran Goddard’s "lyrical and intense" novel.
Abacus Publishing director Anna Kelly acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to And Know That I Am God, a third novel by Keiran Goddard, author of Hourglass and I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, from Clare Conville at C&W. UK publication is scheduled for February 2027.
She said: “And Know That I Am God takes us deep inside the mind of one of the most unusual artists of the 20th century. It’s a gorgeous, lyrical, vivid and intense novel, full of pathos, that asks compelling questions about creativity, trauma, religion and sexuality. Keiran is one of the most talented young writers in the UK and this is his best work yet.”
And Know That I Am God explores “the strange and unforgettable story of the outsider artist Henry Darger”.
The synopsis reads: “Institutionalised as a child, and a recluse throughout his adult life, Henry Darger spent his days shuffling between his one-room Chicago apartment, daily mass and the various hospitals where he worked as a janitor. But by night he was one of the most prolific artists and writers of the 20th century – creator of a vast universe in which the Vivian Girls fight against the forces of evil in the Realms of the Unreal.
“He documented this lurid, shocking world in hundreds of thousands of pages of writing, and hundreds of elaborate watercolour paintings – which were discovered only a few weeks before his death, and now appear in galleries around the world.”
Goddard says: “Henry Darger’s story is the story of industrial modernity, the ungodliness of wage labour, the disfiguring effects of institutional repression and the transformative power of creativity and faith. I have wanted to write about him since I first discovered his work as a teenager, and feel blessed to be doing so with the support of Anna and the rest of the team, who have shown such incredible belief in this novel.”
Keiran Goddard grew up in Shard End, Birmingham. He is the author of a poetry pamphlet, two poetry collections and the novels Hourglass and I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. Hourglass was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. He speaks internationally on issues related to social change and labour rights and writes regularly for the Guardian.
A BBC feature film of I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, written by Enda Walsh and directed by Clio Barnard, starring Anthony Boyle, Lola Petticrew, Joe Cole, Jay Lycurgo and Daryl McCormack, is in post-production and is currently slated for release in 2026.
