W. W. Norton to Publish Roth Biography

The Associated Press has reported that Blake Bailey’s biography of Philip Roth has been acquired by publisher W. W. Norton and Co. The book is tentatively titled Philip Roth: The Biography. A spokesman for Norton said on Thursday that this book will be the definitive account of the novelist’s life, and that Bailey will have unrestricted access to Roth’s papers and unpublished works. No release date has been set.

There is no word yet on why Roth’s publisher of almost 20 years and the projected publisher of Ross Miller’s authorized biography of Roth (no longer in progress), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will not be putting out Bailey’s biography.