Nicole Krauss, author of the The History of Love and ex-wife of famous vegetarian Jonathan Safran Foer, has done what few literary writers can do: procured a two-book deal for an impressive sum of money—more than four million dollars, our sources tell us.

Given the rumor-laden uncoupling of Krauss and Safran Foer last year (email me if you want to discuss), the subject matter of the proposed books is noteworthy. The first-billed book, Late Wonder, is described as "a searching and metaphysical novel about transformation, about moving in the opposite direction from all that is known and apparent," while the other, How to Be a Man, is "a collection of short stories that weave themselves into a complex meditation on manhood, history, duty, freedom, and being a woman among men."

Terry Karten at Harper placed the winning bid on the books, poaching Krauss from her longtime editors at Norton.

Contact the author of this post at leah@gawker.com.

[Photo via AP]