Barbara Kingsolver has completed a new novel that brings classical music into her familiar rural world.
Barbara Kingsolver is taking on a subject she rarely discussed in public while growing up in a small Kentucky town: classical music. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Thursday that “Partita” will be published Oct.
6. . Like “Demon Copperhead,” “The Poisonwood Bible" and other Kingsolver novels, it's centered on a rural community. But in “Partita,” the main character is a married woman and onetime pianist haunted by a passion for music that she never lived out.In the 1970s, Kingsolver herself was a music scholarship student at DePauw University who switched her major to biology after deciding she stood little chance of making a career out of playing classical piano. At the same time, she had ambitions to become a writer. She worked in journalism and published poetry and short fiction before completing her first novel, “The Bean Trees,” which came out in 1988. “All my life, I’ve loved both language and music in a hungry, passionate way that happily entwines them in my brain. A novel about a classical musician never occurred to me, though, because of the sorts of people I write about," Kingsolver said in a statement. “I was the weird country kid who loved reading Tolstoy and playing Bach, but I kept those interests to myself. Finally, now, it strikes me as a worthy project to ask who made these rules, that small-town fiddlers and country music fans don’t feel welcome in a symphony hall, and vice versa?” Kingsolver, 70, has long been known for her socially conscious fiction, often working in themes of class, community, immigration and the environment. The bestselling “Demon Copperhead” was a reworking of Charles Dickens' “David Copperfield” that Kingsolver set in modern Appalachia. Published in 2022, it was an Oprah Winfrey book club pick that shared the fiction Pulitzer with Hernan Diaz's “Trust."for lifetime achievement and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.JEA board nominee withdraws amid criticism over councilman’s text messages citing ‘big favor’PV Girls Hoops Playoff PrepInspection forces Jacksonville wholesale warehouse to close; Owner seeks donations to reopenConfidence grows for coaches as the bill for better pay picks up steam in Florida.St. Johns County parents express sympathy for family of 12-year-old killed in crash4:13Passion 4 Pets Adoption Event Returns Feb. 21 at Dogtopia of Jacksonville Beach BoulevardBlack History Month Spotlight: Al PeteFuture Snyder Memorial Church to be discussed at DIA meetingCommunity mourns death of student killed in St. Johns County crashMortgate rates dip to the 5% range for the first time since 2023Working in the garden to get ready for SpringJacksonville TikToker uncovers account posting women, children without their consentLocal civil rights leader talks history and legacy of Jesse Jackson2026 High School 9:12 Media DayAbuse, neglect allegations prompt request for state to investigate Union County Animal ControlEpiscopal Boys Soccer Prepares for SemisIt might feel like Spring today, but hold off on planting: More cold is comingPassion 4 Pets: London is looking for a furever homeAccused gunman in murder-for-hire case withdraws guilty pleaIncreased focus on teen 'takeovers' to make sure they don't get out of controlJacksonville family loses everything in electrical fire at home of 18 yearsGreen Cove Springs couple to bike to DC for screening reform
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Barbara Kingsolver's 'Partita' takes on classical music and hits shelves Oct. 6Barbara Kingsolver has completed a new novel that brings classical music into her familiar rural world. HarperCollins announced on Thursday that “Partita” comes out Oct. 6. The story follows a married former pianist. She feels haunted by a musical life she never pursued. Kingsolver understands that pull. She studied piano on scholarship in college.
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