Kazuo Ishiguro has sold a new novel, which marks his first new work since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017. Klara and the Sun, which set for March 2021, was acquired by Knopf, Ishiguro's longstanding American publisher. In the deal, Reagan Arthur acquired U.S. rights from Amanda Urban at ICM Partners.
The book, Knopf said, follows Klara, who is "an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities." Klara monitors the shoppers who come into her store and, Knopf explained, "remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her."
Knopf's editorial director Jordan Pavlin, who is editing the novel, said it "offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator" while posing the question "what does it mean to love?”
Ishiguro's work has been translated into more than 50 languages and, in addition to the Nobel, he has won the Booker Prize. Two of his best known works, The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, have, Knopf said, have each sold over 2 million copies.
