Atlantic Books acquires ‘a wake-up call’ to 21st century fascism

Atlantic Books has acquired World English rights to This Is Fascism: A Wake-Up Call by political scientist Rosan Smits. Associate Publisher Shoaib Rokadiya acquired rights to the Dutch bestseller from Milou Klein Lankhorst at De Correspondent. It will publish as a paperback original on 11 June 2026.

‘Fascism is back. This time no swastikas, Nazi flags, or deadly bureaucracy, but MAGA hats, extremist memes, and the erosion of human rights. For the first time in modern history, far-right parties in some European countries have won a larger share of the votes than the Conservatives and the Social Democrats. But how do fascists mobilise citizens? How has fascism become normalised in Europe again? And how do we stop it?’

Rosan Smits is a political scientist and has conducted research on radicalisation and violence in war zones for many years. She led the Conflict Research Unit at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations. Since 2017, she has been deputy editor-in-chief of De Correspondent. This Is Fascism was an immediate bestseller upon publication in the Netherlands.

Rosan Smits says: ‘The fascist playbook is back – and now it’s worldwide. I’m so glad my book will soon be available in English for those who want to understand how it works, and what we can do about it.’

Shoaib Rokadiya says: ‘As Rosan convincingly argues in this book, fascism is not just a historical phenomenon. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and claim that it can’t happen here. This could not be a more timely publication.’

For North American rights, please contact Alice Latham alicelatham@atlantic-books.co.uk.