Barbara Kingsolver returns with 'Partita,' her first novel since 'Demon Copperhead'

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author's new book explores classical music and small-town life.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Barbara Kingsolver, the acclaimed author of "Demon Copperhead" and other socially conscious novels, is set to publish her first novel since her Pulitzer Prize-winning work. Titled "Partita," the new book centers on a married woman haunted by her unfulfilled passion for classical music, a subject Kingsolver rarely discussed growing up in a small Kentucky town.

Why it matters

Kingsolver is known for her ability to tackle complex social and cultural themes through her fiction. "Partita" represents a new creative direction for the author, as she explores the intersection of classical music and small-town life, a topic she has personal experience with from her own upbringing.

The details

"Partita" will be published on October 6, 2026, by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The book will also be released two days later in the UK by Faber. Like Kingsolver's previous works, "Partita" is set in a rural community, but the main character is a married woman who is haunted by her unfulfilled passion for playing classical piano, a pursuit she abandoned in college to study biology and pursue a career in writing.

  • Kingsolver was a music scholarship student at DePauw University in the 1970s, but switched her major to biology after deciding she had little chance of making a career as a classical pianist.
  • Kingsolver published her first novel, "The Bean Trees," in 1988 after working in journalism and publishing poetry and short fiction.
  • "Demon Copperhead," Kingsolver's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, was published in 2022 and was an Oprah Winfrey book club pick.

The players

Barbara Kingsolver

A renowned American novelist known for her socially conscious fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Demon Copperhead." "Partita" will be her first novel since that acclaimed work.

Harper

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers that will be publishing Kingsolver's new novel "Partita" on October 6, 2026.

Faber

The UK publisher that will be releasing "Partita" two days after the US publication on October 8, 2026.

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What they’re saying

“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. 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?”

— Barbara Kingsolver (HarperCollins Publishers)

The takeaway

With "Partita," acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver is exploring new creative territory by delving into the world of classical music and small-town life, subjects she has personal experience with but has rarely explored in her socially conscious fiction. The novel represents an intriguing new direction for the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer.