About the Author

Tatjana Soli is a novelist and short story writer. Born in Salzburg, Austria, she attended Stanford University and the Warren Wilson MFA Program. Her stories have appeared in THE SUN, STORYQUARTERLY, CONFRONTATION, GILF COAST, OTHER VOICES, NIMROD, THIRD COAST, CAROLINA QUARTERLY, SONORA REVIEW and NORTH DAKOTA QUARTERLY among other publications. Her work has been twice listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories in Best American Short Stories and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She has been awarded many literary prizes and teaches at a writing workshop in Gotham County.

Reviews

'A beautiful, harrowing debut that grapples with betrayal, compassion, what it is that drives us towards heroic acts - and whether love can triumph over the horrors of war' Easy Living 'Gripping, terrific…[Soli] does one hell of a job of putting the reader knee-deep in the action' The Times '[A] haunting debut novel…quietly mesmerizing…tough and lyrical book. Its object lessons in how Helen learns to refine her wartime photography are succinct and powerful. By the end of the story – in ways that bring to mind the feverishness of the Iraqi war film “The Hurt Locker”, with its very different locations, job descriptions and wartime imperatives – [Helen] has been utterly transformed. She is no longer a witness to history. As Ms Soli makes her readers understand very viscerally, Helen has become part of the history that she set out to record.’ Janet Maslin, The New York Times 'A splendid first novel…Vivid battle scenes, sensual romantic entanglements and elegant writing add to the pleasures of ‘The Lotus Eaters’' The New York Times Book Review (front cover review) 'If it's possible to judge a novel by its first few lines, then ‘The Lotus Eaters”’ Tatjana Soli's fiction debut, shows great promise right from the start… The author explores Helen's psyche with startling clarity, and portrays the chaotic war raging around her with great attention to seemingly minor details. The real heartbreak in ‘The Lotus Eaters’ is found in subtle, unexpected moments’ Boston Globe 'As with the Academy Award-winning ‘The Hurt Locker’, this novel examines the addiction to that adrenaline rush sometimes experienced by those unlucky enough to fall prey to…"terrible love of war".“The Lotus Eaters” feels pulled from today's headlines, full of meaning for readers whose country is once again sending men and women to the battlefields, both to fight and to document that fighting' Washington Post