HarperCollins To Publish Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir ‘Belonging’ After Penguin Exit

Last Updated:September 04, 2026, 12:46 IST

The statement comes days after Penguin Random House India (PRHI) clarified that it is not the publisher of Sonia Gandhi’s Belonging in India.

Cover page of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir ‘Belonging’.

HarperCollins India on Friday announced that it will publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ following Penguin’s exit from the project.

The long-awaited book is set to hit the shelves in India on November 10, 2026, marking a new publishing home for one of the most anticipated political memoirs in recent years.

Describing the book as a deeply personal account, HarperCollins said Belonging explores themes of love, identity, duty and belonging, while offering readers an insider’s perspective on India’s journey.

“HarperCollins India will publish Belonging: A Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi. The long-awaited memoir will be published in India on 10 November 2026. One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time, Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging, and offers a rare insider’s view of India’s journey,” the publisher said in a statement.

Also Read: ‘Impasse Over An Issue’: Penguin India Denies External Pressure Over Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir ‘Belonging’

Penguin India Announces Not Publishing Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir

The statement comes days after Penguin Random House India (PRHI) clarified that it is not the publisher of Belonging in India, following reports that it had withdrawn from releasing the memoir after Gandhi allegedly rejected proposed editorial changes.

“Penguin Random House India is not the publisher of ‘Belonging’ in India. Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish ‘Belonging’ because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,” the publisher had said in its statement.

It had also stressed that fact-checking and suggesting editorial changes are part of the normal publishing process.

“As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact-check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book. We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author,” the statement added.

Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir

The memoir chronicles Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy and her romance with Rajiv Gandhi to the personal losses that shaped her life and relationship with India.

Also Read: Sonia Gandhi’s ‘Belonging’ Likely To Feature Saree-Clad Photo Clicked By Rajiv Gandhi In India Edition

The 79-year-old Congress veteran, who is the party’s longest-serving president, revisits her childhood in Italy, her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi at Cambridge and the assassinations of her mother-in-law, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, and her husband.

Born in Italy, Sonia Gandhi was a 19-year-old student in Cambridge, England, when she met Rajiv Gandhi in 1965. The couple married on February 25, 1968.

Alfred A Knopf had announced on August 18 that Belonging: A Journey of Love would be published on November 10. Alfred A Knopf is an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, which is part of Penguin Random House, LLC. Penguin Random House’s parent company is Bertelsmann AG.

With inputs from PTI

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What led to Penguin’s exit from Sonia Gandhi’s memoir?

Penguin Random House India stated that it is not the publisher of the memoir in India, and it disputed reports that it exited the project because the author rejected proposed editorial changes and deletions. However, media reports claimed the decision followed a disagreement over editorial changes and deletions sought by the publisher in a portion of the manuscript, which the author declined to make.

How will ‘Belonging’ impact Sonia Gandhi’s political legacy?

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir is intended to send a clear political message to her opponents and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that she fully belongs to India. Writing the book serves as a way to bring closure to the long-running political campaigns directed against her.

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Prisha Vibhavari

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