Oneworld scoops Juhea Kim's 'elegant and dreamy' debut novel

Oneworld has acquired Beasts of a Little Land, an historic story of love and war hailed as a "magnificent achievement", by debut novelist Juhea Kim.

Described as an "epic story of love, war and redemption", Beasts of a Little Land is set against the turbulent decades of 20th-century Korea. It opens in 1917 during the Japanese occupation, and follows the intertwined fates of a young girl sold to a courtesan school and a homeless orphan, who begin a lifelong friendship that will change both their lives. As the country hurtles towards revolution, Jade becomes a sought-after performer with unexpected romantic prospects, while her friend JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence. Soon Jade must decide between her own ambitions or risking everything for the one she loves.

The synopsis explains: "From the perfumed chambers of the courtesan school to the glamourous cafes of modern Seoul, the unforgettable characters of Beasts of a Little Land unveil a world where friends become enemies and enemies become saviours, where heroes are persecuted and beasts take many shapes." 

Juliet Mabey, publisher at Oneworld, acquired British and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada, including serial and audio, from Catherine Barbosa-Ross at HarperCollins in New York, on behalf of Jody Kahn at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents. Oneworld will publish Kim's debut as a superlead hardback in February 2022, with special signed editions available through Waterstones.

Kim was born in Incheon, Korea, and moved to Portland, Oregon, at the age of nine. She is the founder and editor of Peaceful Dumpling, an online magazine at the intersection of sustainable lifestyle and ecological literature, and earned her BA in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University. Her writing has been published in Granta, Catapult, Joyland, Times Literary Supplement, Independent, Zyzzyva and elsewhere.

Commenting on the news of her publication, she said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better publisher than Oneworld to bring Beasts of a Little Land to the UK and the Commonwealth. The UK is where I had my literary debut through Granta magazine, so it has always felt like an artistic home to me. I am deeply honoured and grateful to be publishing my debut here.”

Mabey noted: “I fell immediately in love with Beasts of a Little Land for the sheer gorgeousness of Juhea’s prose, but the quality of her research brings the Korean struggle against Japanese occupation so vividly to life, all told through an incredibly rich cast of characters. This is a magnificent achievement for any author, let alone a debut. It’s literally unputdownable.”

Kahn added: “Juhea Kim is a rare, young talent who blew me away with the epic scope of Beasts of a Little Land. In prose that is elegant and dreamy, Kim unveils a Tolstoyesque world, sweepingly integrating culture, landscape, unexpected plot and a diverse set of characters, revealing a story about humanity that is increasingly relevant today.”