The Borough Press gets teeth into literary novel inspired by JAWS' Quint
London, 15th January 2024
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Suzie Dooré, Editor at Large for The Borough Press, is publishing Robert Lautner’s ‘masterpiece’ QUINT, a literary novel inspired by the grizzled seaman of Peter Benchley’s JAWS. The UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired in a deal done with James Gill at United Agents.
Quint, played in the film by Robert Shaw, is a cult figure, who famously survived the WW2 sinking of the USS Indianapolis (where almost 1,000 men died in shark-infested seas). The novel follows his life from the aftermath of that incident until his arrival on the island of Amity, and flashes back to the scene of the tragedy in a heart-stopping, vivid first-person narrative.
The Borough Press will publish in hardback on 1st February 2024, on the 50th anniversary of Peter Benchley’s JAWS.
Robert Lautner said: ‘QUINT is a character story – a novel about a man, and someone I feel I know. I hope it’s also a tribute to the hundreds of sailors and marines from the USS Indianapolis who lost their lives in the most horrific circumstances imaginable, and a tribute motivated by arguably one of the greatest speeches in cinema. It’s only a four-minute speech but a lot happens in those four minutes. I wanted to write those minutes, and give a history and an afterlife to a magnificent character and a performance that moves me to this day. I’m thrilled that the novel has found its home with Suzie and the team at Borough Press.’
Suzie Dooré said: ‘This book is a masterpiece, and that is not something I say often. Taking a beloved cult character as his inspiration, Robert Lautner has performed an extraordinary feat of literary ventriloquism and written a novel of unprecedented invention, savagery and authenticity – having read it, and then had a lie down to calm my pounding heart, I emerged convinced that if it came to it, I could capture a Great White on the open seas. I should say that the Benchley Estate are aware of this project and have given their permission for it, for which we thank them wholeheartedly, and that the author supports shark and ocean conservation.’
Notes to Editors:
Shortlisted for Imprint of the Year at the 2017 British Book Industry Awards, The Borough Press is the literary imprint of HarperFiction, part of HarperCollins UK. The imprint launched in January 2014 and is home to prize-winners and bestsellers in hardback, eBook, audio and paperback. Led by Editor at Large Suzie Dooré, The Borough Press is proud to publish books that make you, and can be found online at boroughpress.co.uk, or @BoroughPress on Twitter and Instagram.
About HARPERCOLLINS UK:
HarperCollins UK is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 17 countries. With over two hundred years of history and more than 120 unique imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year, in 16 languages, and has a print and digital catalogue of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins UK has offices in London, Glasgow, Honley and Manchester and can be found onl