Elaine Kalman Naves was born in Hungary, and grew up in Budapest, London, and Montreal. She was for many years literary columnist for The Gazette in Montreal, and is the author of seven previous books, among them the award-winning memoirs Journey to Vaja (McGill Queens) and Shoshanna’s Story (McClelland & Stewart). Elaine's honours include a Canadian Literary Award for Personal Essay, two Quebec Writers' Federation prizes for non-fiction, and two Canadian Jewish Book Awards for Holocaust Literature. Elaine has been a frequent contributor to Ideas on CBC Radio and lectures widely at colleges, universities, and book clubs. She lives In Montreal.