M'max finds 'Fairy' at F'furt fair

U.S. publishers still circling French novel

By JONATHAN BING

FRANKFURT-- In a pre-emptive buy that puts Miramax in possession of two of the hottest commodities at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the mini-major has optioned the French novel, "L'Education d'une Fee" ("The Education of a Fairy) by Didier van Cauwelaert for what's said to be a six-figure sum.

A week ago, Miramax closed a book and film deal for another much bruited about novel, Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl," a story about a young criminal genius widely compared to the Harry Potter series.

Film rights to "Artemis" were optioned jointly by Tribeca Films with Tribeca partners Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal attached to produce. In Frankfurt, agent Sophie Hicks of Ed Victor Ltd has been fielding a storm of foreign offers for the book (one publisher bought the project sight unseen) and rights are expected to sell in close to ten territories by the end of the fair.

"Education," published by the independent Paris house Albin Michel in June, has yet to be translated into English. Although the novel was submitted to Miramax some weeks back, the timing of the deal is sure to give fair attendees a strong sense of déjà vu. At last year's fair, publishers and film scouts scrambled to get a hold of another untranslated French novel, "If Only It Were True" by Marc Levy. After an intense bidding war, film rights went to Spielberg and Dreamworks for $2 million, with Pocket buying publishing rights for seven figures.

American publishing rights to "Education" are still available, but editors at several New York houses were circling the project Friday. The novel depicts a toy inventor who falls in love with a recently widowed woman and becomes a close friend of her young son. When the woman announces the relationship is over, the son attempts to sort out their problems with the help of check-out cashier he's convinced is a fairy in disguise.

Author van Cauwelaert won France's top fiction prize, the Prix Gouncourt, for a previous work, "Un Aller Simple."

Attended by close to 300,000 members of the international book biz, the Frankfurt Book Fair has been largely ignored by Hollywood as a place to prospect for film projects. Miramax creative affairs veep Jennifer Wachtell was virtually alone among American development execs scouting the exhibition halls. Wachtell will oversee "Education" at Miramax, reporting to production co-prexy Meryl Poster.

Miramax senior veep of business and legal affairs Steven Hutensky and veep of business affairs and international relations Stuart Ford repped the company. Albin Michel's Marie Dormann and Lisa Rounds of the French Publishers Agency repped Cauwelaert.