Podcast: KTLIT interviews Krys Lee, author of the brilliant short story collection “Drifting House”

Krys Lee (by Mat Douma)

Talking with Krys Lee, the author of the new and excellent collection of short stories Drifting House, can be a little bit surreal. On the phone she is energetic and cheerful (even as, in our interview, she was fighting off a cough), and it is difficult to reconcile that personality with the solemn, often tragic tone of her short stories.

Still, KTLIT was ecstatic to interview author Lee, on a short break in her ongoing book tour, because her stories manage something quite difficult – they both represent the ongoing national issues often covered in Korean modern literature AND manage to be completely character/plot-driven stories of lives, generally on the edge.

Ms. Lee is a bit of an unusual subject for KTLIT as she writes in English, but having read her work and knowing her history (and a bit of Korean history as well), I’d argue she is one of the best “translators” Korean fiction has had ( I have to put Kim Yong-ik in that same category).

In any case, the interview:
KrysLeeFINAL

Krys Lee Interview for iPhone or Download

If you’re going to buy this book in Seoul (which you absolutely should as Seoul is a grand city in which to purchase books!), be aware that this book is so popular that it has actually sold out at Kyobo (so reports author Lee in a Facebook message). There are at least 4 copies at What the Book (despite the website indicating that it must be ordered), and it should also be available at Bandi & Luni and Youngpoong.

If you are an international reader, it should be available at you local bookstore, and it is certainly available through Barnes and Noble and  Amazon.