Remembering Gary Pulsifer
Gary Pulsifer was a pioneering independent publisher, who founded Arcadia in 1996. French Books UK, along with many actors of the publishing world, pays tribute to a great contributor to European fiction in translation.
Born in Bath, Maine, Gary Pulsifer was not particularly predestined for publishing. He was the son of Donald Pulsifer, an electrician, and his wife, Carol. He worked his own way through the meanders of the publishing industry. He studied literature and psychology brilliantly at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, and first freelanced as a journalist and publicist. As Amanda Hopkinson reports for The Guardian, he then spent seven years from 1989 with the publishers Peter Owen before founding Arcadia.
"He loved social networking and attended festivals, conferences and author events all over the world, as well as umpteen literary lunches at embassies and cultural institutions in the UK and US. He was active on the boards of small publishers (Maia, Gay Men’s Press), charities (Book Trade Charity and English PEN), major institutions (London Arts literature panel, Arts Council translation advisory group) and the Independent Publishers’ Group. He won the IPG diversity award twice and was named Sunday Times small publisher of the year in 2006. He loved recounting how Arcadia was the model for the publishing house in Woody Allen’s 2010 film 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'."
In 2009, Gary Pulsifer was diagnosed with cancer. He died aged 59 on 25th March - after leading an impressive and inspiring carrier. From black and ethnic minority authors to gay literature and Scandinavian crime novels, Pulsifer showcased foreign fiction under its most various forms.
As The Bookseller points out, he acted as an advisor to the Reading Europe initiative, created to give a “cultural dimension” to the EU Referendum Campaign". The 49 recommended titles have been selected to let the reader better understand the literature, history and culture of each the 24 countries in the EU and the four in the British Isles. The promotion includes six of the books he published while at Arcadia - one being Rough Trade by Parisian Crime novelist Dominique Manotti.
Two main French-speaking literary figures Gary Pulsifer brought
to the United Kingdom : Manotti & Ben Jelloun
Dominique Manotti is a professor of 19th-century economic history in Paris. She is the author of several novels, including Rough Trade, Dead Horsemeat (short-listed for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger award), Lorraine Connection (which won the International Dagger award and was nominated for the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards) and Affairs of State.
Rough Trade, translated by Margaret Crossland and Elfreda Powell, published by Arcadia
'This fast-moving story traces the dark, sinuous paths of sinister events that are unfolding in Le Sentier, the heart of the Parisian rag-trade. One spring morning a Thai girl is found dead in a fashion workshop, inciting a tangle of illicit events involving illegal immigration, oppressed sweatshop workers, prostitution rings, and a gay police officer and his Turkish lover. Other mysterious secrets lie hidden in the upper registers of Parisian society, including heroin trafficking and a sex club where patrons are secretly filmed, all serving as tantalizing fodder for this gripping morality tale of late-20th-century Paris.'
Loraine Connection, translated by Ros Schwartz, published by Arcadia
'The players in this deadly-serious game of Monopoly will stop at nothing. In Pondange, Lorraine, the Korean Daewoo group manufactures cathode ray tubes. Working conditions are abysmal, but as it’s the only source of employment in this bleak former iron and steel-manufacturing region, the workers daren’t protest. Until a strike breaks out, and there’s a fire at the factory. But is it an accident? The Pondange factory is at the centre of a strategic battle being played out in Paris, Brussels and Asia for the takeover of the ailing state-owed electronic giant, Thomson. Unexpectedly the Matra-Daewoo alliance wins the bid. Rival contender Alcatel believes there’s foul play involved and brings in the big guns led by its head of security service. Intrepid private cop Charles Montoya is called to Lorraine to investigate, and explosive revelations follow – dirty tricks, blackmail and murder.'
Escape, translated by Ros Schwartz, published by Arcadia
'1987. Two Italian prisoners escape prison in a rubbish lorry. Parting company, Carlo heads for Milan, while Filippo treks north over the mountains. When Carlo is killed in a shoot-out during a bank robbery – and under deeply suspicious circumstances – a massive manhunt is launched. Frightened for his own safety, Filippo flees to Paris, where he's assisted by Italian political exiles and finds work as a security guard. Long, lonely hours lead him to recall a story told to him by Carlo in – the explosive account of a former leader of the Red Brigades – and Filippo begins to devote his evenings to writing it down. His landlady, Cristina, finds him a publisher and the book becomes an instant bestseller. Carefully coached by his publishers, Filippo steadfastly refuses to admit that the book is anything other than fiction, but the public don't believe him. Nor do the police. Trapped by fate and his own efforts to evade the truth, Filippo must accept that his assumed identity carries far greater risks than his own. As the tension builds, ex-journalist Lisa – Carlo's one-time lover – becomes convinced that his death was no accident. It's not long before her investigations begin to expose a complex trail of corruption and political manoeuvres, with potentially fatal consequences.'
Dead Horsemeat, translated by Amanda Hopkinson, published by Arcadia
A group of school friends from the heady days of 1968 France take centre stage in this racy account of horse racing, public corruption and criminal intent. Agathe Renourd and her protégé Nicolas Berger are in charge of the communications network of a major European insurance consortium. Christian Deluc has become a council member at the Elysée Palace, and Amélie raises thoroughbreds. Now, in 1989, their paths cross in an unexpected fashion as events begin to spiral out of control. Racehorses die under mysterious circumstances, unimaginable quantities of cocaine appear at Parisian parties, and the dashing Nicolas Berger meets a violent end when a bomb explodes in his car. The search for resolution produces a dark ride filled with political intrigue and mystery.
Affairs of State, translated by Ros Schwartz, published by Arcadia
A call-girl whose black book lists her elite international clients is found murdered, a mysterious plane bound for Iran disappears over Turkey – and the president's closest advisor, Bonard, is manipulating the system with consummate ease. It's up to rookie advisor Noria Ghozali to untangle the threads which bind these events together – and to combat the racism which repeatedly stalls her efforts.
Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Fez, Morocco in 1944. He is the winner of the Prix Maghreb, Prix Goncourt (the first North African to win France's top literary prize), the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and was also short-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. His fans have numbered Samuel Beckett and Roland Barthes. He lives in Paris and Tangier.
Leaving Tangier, translated by Linda Coverdale, published by Arcadia
Young Moroccans gather regularly in a seafront cafe to gaze at the lights on the Spanish coast glimmering in the distance. Azel, the protagonist, is intent on leaving in one way or another. On the brink of despair he meets Miguel, a wealthy Spanish gallery owner who promises to take him to Barcelona if Azel will become his lover.
A Palace in the Old Village, translated by Linda Coverdale, published by Arcadia
From 'Morocco's greatest living author' (The Guardian) comes a heartbreaking novel about parents and children, the powerful pull of home and the yearning for tradition and family. Mohammed has spent the past 40 years working in France. As he approaches retirement, he takes stock of his life – his devotion to Islam and to his assimilated children – and decides to return to Morocco, where he spends his life's savings building the biggest house in the village and waiting for his children and grandchildren to come and be with him.
The publishers behind Reading Europe are to host a tribute to Gary Pulsifer, on 22nd June.
More information on this link.