Carlos Acosta: from the ballet to the galley proof

Carlos Acosta is more accustomed to en pointe than penpoint, but the world-renowned Cuban ballet dancer has written his first novel in between performances around the world. The story, which is as yet untitled, is set in Cuba and charts the island's history from the 19th century to the present, including a section set during the revolution of the 1950s. The novel will be published in 2013 by Bloomsbury in a translation by Frank Wynne. Bill Swainson, senior commissioning editor at Bloomsbury, described Acosta's fiction debut as "a bold, earthy and imaginative novel, packed with wonderful characters and the sights, sounds and smells of the island. "It has extraordinary twists of plot, fascinating insights into Cuba's history, and is written in a voice that is warm, funny, intimate and convincing." He continued: "Carlos Acosta has a real gift." Acosta's autobiography, No Way Home , was published in 2007. It details his childhood in Havana and his ambitions to play professional football, before training at the National Ballet School of Cuba and joining English National Ballet as a principal dancer in 1991. He has since performed all over the world, winning an Olivier award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2007.