Taputtavat Pikku Kätöset

We’ve hiked across the Sweden/Finland border for this month’s update. That’s right – Little Hands Clapping is now available in Finnish, in a typically handsome hardback from our friends at Sammakko. It’s a must read for those long winter nights. Obsessive Rhodes completists will also be glad to learn that he has recently co-translated a Finnish book about a foul-mouthed hedgehog. This is also from Sammakko. Here it is:

And if that wasn’t enough, the Italian edition of Little Hands Clapping is now out in paperback:

With no new Rhodes material due until the publication of This Is Life in March 2012, you could well find yourself wondering what to read in the coming months. There’s no need to panic, though – Rhodes has broken his strict no-blurbing rule and has publicly recommended the new book by Magnus Mills, A Cruel Bird Came to the Nest and Looked In. It’s great. Earlier this year he also found himself unable to resist blurbing Sixteen Shades of Crazy by Rachel Trezise, which is also great. And hats off to Faber for unearthing Twopence Coloured, a long-abandoned early novel by Rhodes favourite Patrick Hamilton. Guess what – it’s great.

Happy reading.

Klappa Händer Små

Yes folks, it’s a Swedish Special this month. Rhodes has long been a fan of Sweden and the Swedes – here’s a list of just some of his favourite things about them:

1. ABBA, obviously. See their finest moment here.

2. The magnificent Martin Beck series of cop novels by Sjöwall and Wahlöö. More about them here.
3. Bodies Without Organs – Earth’s most bafflingly named sunshine pop act.

4. Björn Borg, mainly because when he became famous he didn’t just buy an island, he bought an archipelago. Some people have natural panache.

5. And, of course, ‘Don’t Bore Us, Get To The Chorus’ by Roxette – a record he’s so unaccountably fond of he even gave it a supporting role in The Little White Car. We’ll stop there.

However, until now his admiration for the Swedes has gone unrequited, as they have joined together in their refusal to read his books. Hopefully this is all about to change, though, with the publication of Little Hands Clapping by our good friends at Basil. Translated as Klappa Händer Små, this excellent illustrated edition is sure to become this autumn’s must-read from Malmö to Kiruna. Next time you happen to bump into Max Martin, Britt Ekland, Stakka Bo or Dolph Lundgren, don’t be surprised if they have a copy under their arm.

And look, here’s a trailer:

You’ll probably need cheering up after that. Here’s the above-mentioned Bodies Without Organs to help out. Rhodes was at this very concert, which is reported to have been one of his favourite live sets ever:

Happy reading.

Probably not coming soon to a town near you

After a gruelling four-stop, two-nation world tour, Rhodes has finally come to the end of his live commitments for the year, and unless any earth-shattering invitations come in he’ll be keeping a low profile until the inevitable media bonanza surrounding the launch of his seventh book, This Is Life, in spring 2012. He has exclusively contacted us and asked us to thank everyone who came along to the events (apart from the intensely tiresome person sitting behind him in Cardiff, who distracted everyone within a ten foot radius with his incessant droning).

In other news, Little Hands Clapping will be published in Sweden and Finland in the coming weeks, and will be out in the US in the autumn. Details to follow.

Also, Little Hands Clapping is now out as an audiobook. It’s available here, from Audible - so now you can read Rhodes’ book with your eyes shut, or while gliding through the streets in your Lexus.

We don’t know for sure what he’ll be up to in the coming months, but we expect he’ll be hanging around in various exotic locations with his famous acquaintances. Speaking of which, we’ve managed to unearth this picture of him enjoying some quality time with his dear friend Meryl Streep:

Happy reading.

Cardiff Calling

Nobody ever believes us when we tell them, but it’s true – Dan Rhodes has never done a reading in Cardiff. That’s all about to change, though. On July 21st he’ll be part of the In Chapters night at the Millennium Centre, premiering some brand new stuff on the evening’s theme – carnivals. A mixture of music, fiction, poetry and whatever else, Rhodes will be joining musicians Richard “Mynci” James and Gareth “The Gentle Good” Bonello, as well as Rhymin’ Rhian Edwards, John “L” Williams and probably a bunch of others. See you all there. Details here.

In other news, word has reached us of history’s most peculiar party. Last month, in Noosaville, Australia, something unusual entered the water supply and a bunch of otherwise rational people ended up convinced that it would be a good idea to theme a party around Rhodes’ 2007 novel Gold. Implausible as it may seem, this photograph has not been tampered with:

We wish them all a speedy recovery.

Happy reading.

The ink is drying…

We are finally able to exclusively confirm the rumours that have been sweeping the business for months - Dan Rhodes has written a new novel, and it’ll be published by Canongate in March 2012. But what will this surefire million-seller be called? The exclusives just keep on coming. Find out below:

The beret and the Eugène Carrière painting suggest that it’s going to be another Parisian romp. We’ll see…

We strongly suspect that the title This Is Life is a nod to this song by the mighty Daniel Johnston. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Rhodes has snuck a Daniel Johnston reference into a book.

And now we’re going to shut up about it until it’s back from the printers.

We hope you can stand the wait.

Happy reading.