Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir ‘Belonging’ Won’t Be Published By Penguin India: Report

New Delhi: Penguin Random House India (PRHI), the largest English-language trade publisher in the Indian subcontinent, has reportedly decided not to publish Congress MP Sonia Gandhi’s much-anticipated memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love. This comes after a disagreement with the author over proposed editorial changes to the manuscript.

The memoir was scheduled for an international release on November 10 through Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Knopf earlier announced an initial print run of 1 lakh copies.

Reportedly, PRHI had sought specific changes and deletions in a section of the memoir. Gandhi, however, rejected the proposed alterations and declined to make any modifications or omissions to her text. The disagreement ultimately led the Indian arm of the global publishing house to withdraw from the project.

With Penguin India pulling out, several publishers are said to be interested in the book. HarperCollins is reportedly close to finalising an agreement to publish and distribute the memoir in India.

The development is not expected to affect the book’s international publication. The memoir is scheduled for a global release on November 10, 2026, and will be published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Belonging: A Journey of Love is expected to narrate Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her move to India and marriage to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Earlier this year, the publisher said it had “not printed” former Army chief General M M Naravane’s memoir Four Stars of Destiny, after a copy of the book was displayed by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Parliament.