Guest Blog: Imogen Pelham, Literary Agent
Photo by Oliver Holms
As a literary agent, the range of books I represent has sometimes left some people a little confused as to where my taste lies. My list not only covers both fiction and non-fiction, but quite a broad range within each. There are novels which skew more towards genre, alongside very literary, experimental works, and non-fiction which ranges from very serious, almost academic in tone, to books which are much lighter. Needless to say, the first thing I look for is great writing and a clear concept, but there’s something else I’ve identified; a common thread which unites my authors’ books: humanity.
I think I’ve loved reading all my life simply because I’m so nosy about others’ lives. I love to find out more about people, to understand why they behave the way they do – whether that’s through science, history, memoir, or brilliantly drawn fictional characters. I have managed to make a career out of peering into characters’ lives, experts’ brains, and writers’ hearts. Every author of mine is different, and no two projects are ever the same. I can move across disciplines, genres, centuries, cultures, and circumstances over the course of a normal day. My work allows me to be endlessly curious.
Gabriella Braun’s work requires her to be endlessly curious, too. She consults with clients, listening to their stories, and is always looking for the humanity at the heart of each situation. I suspect, too, that no two clients, or workplaces, are ever quite the same either. This isn’t to suggest Gabriella and my work or roles are comparable, but to explain what it was that drew me to All That We Are, when Gabriella was first in touch with me almost exactly two years ago.
It was a fantastic proposal: well-written, clear, and thorough. Gabriella had carefully thought about how her case studies could open conversations about the individual’s concerns in professional relationships and workplace structures. But it was her curiosity and compassion, and careful presentation of each person’s interior and exterior struggles, which made it feel like the right project for me to represent.
We tend to think of work as a functional and outward-looking space. It’s somewhere we go to get something done, while the softness and complexity of our lives lurk in other private places. Through her work, Gabriella has developed an ability to gently open that hard exterior we’ve developed, and to reveal our humanity in a place where we often aren’t willing to acknowledge it ourselves: the workplace. All That We Are gives us the tools and the space to reflect on not only the people in the case studies, but also what is true of us, what might be true for our colleagues; ways in which we can be kinder, better, and more understanding.
Reading widely, in every sense, allows people to better understand one another, and to better understand ourselves. I’m grateful that my work allows me to explore different facets of humanity, and won’t be narrowing the breadth of the authors I represent any time soon.