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Heather Morris Heather Morris i(12178308 works by)
Born: Established:
c
New Zealand,
c
Pacific Region,
;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand, Heather Morris first arrived in Australia in 1971, when she moved to Melbourne. After returning to New Zealand in 1975 (where she began a B.A. at Canterbury University), she moved back to Melbourne in 1987 and completed her B.A. At Monash University.

Morris began undertaking script-writing training in 1996, through the Australian College of Journalism. Her first novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, began as a screenplay, based on three years of interviews with Holocaust survivor Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Cilka's Journey Richmond : Echo Publishing , 2019 16620732 2019 single work novel historical fiction

'Her beauty saved her life - and condemned her.

'Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, in 1942. The Commandant at Birkenau, Schwarzhuber, notices her long beautiful hair, and forces her separation from the other women prisoners. Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival.

'After liberation, Cilka is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to Siberia. But what choice did she have? And where did the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was sent to Auschwitz when still a child?

'In a Siberian prison camp, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she makes an impression on a woman doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing. Cilka begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions.

'Cilka finds endless resources within herself as she daily confronts death and faces terror. And when she nurses a man called Ivan, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2021 longlisted International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
2020 longlisted Booksellers Choice Award BookPeople Book of the Year Adult Fiction Book of the Year
2020 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Australian General Fiction Book of the Year
y separately published work icon The Tattooist of Auschwitz Richmond : Bonnier Publishing Australia , 2018 12178324 2018 single work novel historical fiction

'The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught, he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.

'There have been many books about the Holocaust - and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov's incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive - not just to survive but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also - almost unbelievably - a love story. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight, and he determined not only to survive himself but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story - their story - will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

'Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story. ' (Publication summary)

2019 shortlisted Glass Bell Award
2020 longlisted International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
2019 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) The Matt Richell Award for New Writer
2019 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Australian General Fiction Book of the Year
2019 shortlisted Indie Awards Debut Fiction
Last amended 30 Jul 2018 15:07:07
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