Jarvis Cocker’s ‘This Book Is A Song’ has been pushed back to 2021 – here’s the new publication date

Cocker’s 256-page work, called This Book Is A Song, was expected to be published on October 1, 2020, according to information sent to retailers – but sellers’ listings have been changed to a release day of September 2, 2021.

His publisher confirmed this was the date those involved with the project are now aiming for.

Jonathan Cape secured the UK and Commonwealth rights to the book in 2017 in a six-figure deal, following an auction involving eight bidders.

At the time, The Guardian reported that literary sources had described the numbers as ‘scary’ for a volume that was ‘emphatically not a memoir’.

Instead it will blend biography, essays, illustrations and photographs to investigate the subject of creativity.

Jonathan Cape’s publishing director, Michal Shavit, said in 2017: “We’re thrilled and excited to be publishing one of Britain’s greatest and most adored cultural and musical figures.

“In this unique and important book, Jarvis will be exploring how to quietly make amazing things happen in a world of noise.

“Whether it is from the stage, over the airwaves and now in print, he never fails to be interesting and brilliantly real. We’re thrilled to be part of this project and can’t wait for him to show us the path to everyday inspiration."

In 2011 Cocker compiled Mother, Brother, Lover, a collection of lyrics, for Faber & Faber, for whom he acted as an editor-at-large.

Born in the Sheffield suburb of Intake, he founded Pulp in 1978 and persevered through several line-ups before commercial success arrived in the 1990s, peaking with the album Different Class which included the hit anthem Common People.

The band went on hiatus in 2002 but reunited in 2011 for live dates – previously unseen footage of a 2012 Pulp reunion gig at the Royal Albert Hall is being screened online in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust on Wednesday, October 14.

Cocker released an LP, Beyond The Pale, with his new group JARV IS… in July.

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