Iseult : Press Announcement

Hachette Books Ireland has acquired World English Language rights to The House of Gonne duology, a major historical literary fiction project by Helen Cullen, in a two‑book deal struck with Peter Straus at RCW. The first novel, ISEULT, reimagines the extraordinary life of Iseult Gonne, daughter of Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne and the child genius who was destined to become a muse to W.B. Yeats. The second novel, MAUD,  turns to Maud’s own remarkable story.

Ciara Considine, Publisher, said: 

‘Helen Cullen is a writer of rare emotional intelligence and lyrical power. Her portrait of Iseult Gonne is both intimate and epic, a work of historical fiction that restores a remarkable woman to the centre of her own story. We are immensely proud to publish this ambitious two‑book project, which will continue with a companion novel exploring the extraordinary life of her mother, Maud Gonne. It has strong appeal to readers of The Paris Wife, Hamnet and The Hours, and to markets with interest in women’s untold histories, historical literary fiction and Irish cultural narratives.’

Helen Cullen said:

‘It has been an honour to write a novel that lifts Iseult Gonne from the footnotes of literary history. Too often she has been reduced to a muse or a supporting figure to the famous men around her, despite her own creative brilliance. This story writes into the silences of the archive to ask why. At its heart, it is also a portrait of a complex mother‑daughter bond – one I will continue to explore in the companion novel about Maud Gonne. I am thrilled to be working with Ciara Considine and the exceptional team at Hachette Ireland to amplify these women’s voices.’

The first book in  The House of Gonne duology, ISEULT, will be published in February 2027.

For publicity enquiries, please email Elaine Egan, Publicity Director at Hachette Books Ireland at elaine.egan@hbgi.ie