Tae Jun Lee was born in Korea in 1904 and, poignantly, was orphaned as a child. He wrote his most famous stories, including many for children and young adults, during the 1930s.

His works are well-loved in Korea for their poetic prose and emotional sensitivity.

After Korea’s liberation in 1945, Lee settled in North Korea and was a war correspondent during the Korean War (1950 – 1953). Little is known of his activities thereafter, except that he disappeared in 1956, presumed purged by the North Korean Communist Party.

First published in 1938, his celebrated story Waiting for Mummy received new life almost 50 years after his death.