DK Red wins three-way auction for Tony Parsons' 'poignant and deeply human' memoir
DK Red has won a "competitive" three-way auction for Tony Parsons’ "poignant and deeply human" memoir.
Fritha Saunders, publisher for DK RED acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Man & Dog: A Love Story from Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown. The book will be published in hardback, audiobook and e-book formats in September 2026.
The publisher described Man & Dog: A Love Story as a "heartfelt memoir that beautifully captures the ineffable bond between a man and his four-legged friend" and was inspired by Parsons’ Sun on Sunday column about the loss of his beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Stan, which is his most-read column to date.
The synopsis reads: "It all started when nine-year old Jasmine wanted a dog and her parents, Tony and his wife Yuriko, tried to fob her off with a rabbit. But things didn’t quite go to plan. Instead, along came a bandy-legged pup, six weeks old, with bright red fur. It was love at first sight and their lives changed forever. The book is set against the backdrop of the Parsons’ family home in Hampstead, north London and Tony’s daily walks with Stan across the heath and the people they meet along the way. Tony’s deeply moving and thoughtful writing will resonate with and touch the hearts of anyone who has known the unique joy of owning a dog."
Parsons said: “I am excited to be publishing Man & Dog with DK Red this September. It is a simple story, told from the heart, about one small red dog and the family who loved him. The response to the book from those who have read it has been like nothing I have ever experienced in my career, not even with my novel Man and Boy. Our dogs are with us for a heartbreakingly short part of our own time – but it feels like the best part. I hope that Man & Dog will strike a chord with anyone who has ever had a dog in their life, and their home and their heart. Stan made my family smile and laugh every day for 12 and a half years that we shared together, and when he was gone, it broke our hearts.”
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Saunders said: “Tony’s writing on the loss of Stan will resonate with so many people because it speaks to the universal truth of what a dog means to a family. This is more than a book about grief; it is a celebration of unconditional love and the companionship of a best friend. We are proud to be publishing Man & Dog and we believe it will become an essential read for dog lovers everywhere.”
Geller said: “Tony moved the entire country with his million-copy bestselling novel Man and Boy about the tender relationship between a father and son. More than 20 years later, he has turned his attention to tell the true story of the beautiful relationship with his beloved dog, Stan. I can’t imagine any dog lover not wanting to read this book and laugh and weep alongside him.”
