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Faber has acquired a debut collection of linked stories and a first novel by South Korean-born author Krys Lee.
Editor Sarah Savitt bought UK and Commonwealth rights to collection Drifting House and Lee's first novel How I Became a North Korean from Arabella Stein at Abner Stein on behalf of Susan Golomb.
Savitt said: "The stories are outstanding—haunting, emotionally powerful, and written in beautiful, controlled prose—and the idea for the novel is very exciting, with a wonderful character at its heart. With all the news stories around North and South Korea at the moment, these stories bring to life the individuals and families behind the headlines, while also creating a fictional world and characters which are utterly Lee's own."
Lee said: "The drifting house is an image I gravitated to for its evocation of family, love, belonging, and especially, safety. All my characters are survivors, seeking a symbolic house that will not drift."
Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and emigrated to California when she was five. After studying at York University in the UK and Warren Wilson in the States, she moved back to Seoul. She was a finalist for the anthology Best New American Voices in 2006.
The collection is scheduled for publication by Faber in spring 2012. In the US, Penguin US president and publisher Kathryn Court bought the two books at auction, fighting off seven other US offers.