Penguin India Drops Sonia Gandhi Memoir Over Editorial Dispute
Publisher Asked For Changes, Deletions That Gandhi Reportedly Rejected
Penguin Random House India has decided not to publish Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love following a disagreement with the author over proposed editorial changes and deletions in parts of the manuscript, according to The Indian Express. Gandhi reportedly rejected the changes sought by the publisher, leading Penguin India to withdraw from the project.
With Penguin India no longer publishing the book in India, several publishers are reportedly interested in acquiring its Indian rights. HarperCollins India is said to be close to finalising an agreement to publish and distribute the memoir in the country. The development is not expected to affect the book’s international release, which remains scheduled for November 10, 2026.
The memoir was announced by Alfred A. Knopf, a US-based imprint of Penguin Random House, which has planned an initial print run of 100,000 copies. The book is expected to offer a personal account of Gandhi’s life, tracing her childhood in post-war Italy, her move to England and her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi while studying in Cambridge.
'Belonging' is expected to cover her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, her years with the Nehru-Gandhi family, the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and her eventual entry into politics. It is also expected to address her decision to decline the prime minister’s post after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance won the 2004 Lok Sabha election.
In the publisher’s announcement, Gandhi said the memoir would present her perspective on her family’s motivations, actions and human failings, as well as the social and political changes she witnessed during six decades in India. She has described writing the book as a departure from the privacy she had maintained for decades.
The development comes amid growing interest in the memoir, with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also recently reflecting publicly on their mother’s life and the forthcoming book.
