Heather Morris (author)
Heather Morris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 |
| Notable works | The Tattooist of Auschwitz |
| Website | |
| https://heathermorrisauthor.com/ | |
Heather Morris (born:1953) is an Australian author born in New Zealand. Her 2018 debut novel was The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Early life
Heather Morris was born in 1953 in Te Awamutu on the North Island of New Zealand.[1]
She later lived moved with her family to the town of Pirongia, she graduated from Te Awamutu High School. In interviews, she stated that as a child she knew nothing about the Holocaust.[2][3]
In 1971, she moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she met and married her husband Steve Morris in 1973. In 1975, she and her husband returned to New Zealand and lived in Christchurch.[2]
She began studying at the University of Canterbury in 1986 but returned to Melbourne in 1987 and graduated from Monash University with a BA in Political Science and Sociology in 1991.[2]
In 1995, she began working as an office manager in the social work department at the Monash Medical Center in Melbourne, where she worked until 2017.[4][5]
Career
In 1996, she enrolled in a professional writing course at the Australian College of Journalism. She has participated in screenwriting lectures, seminars and creative workshops both in Australia and the US. Her first script was reviewed by the Oscar-winning author and screenwriter Pamela Wallace.[6]
In 2003, she met and befriended Lale Sokolov, after his wife's death, and for three years he told her details about his life during the Holocaust and his work as a tattooist in the Auschwitz concentration camp, until his death in 2006.[7][8] [9]Based on his stories, she later wrote The Tattooist of Auschwitz as a screenplay. It was initially selected for a film adaptation, but after being rejected, entered international competitions and won the International Independent Film Awards in 2016.[10]
In 2018, the story was published as her debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. The book became a bestseller, published in over 50 countries around the world and sold tens of millions of copies.[11] In 2018, it was #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and #1 on the The New York Times international bestseller list.[12]
In 2024, the book was adapted into the TV series The Tattooist of Auschwitz, with Harvey Keitel as Lale Sokolov and Melanie Lynskey as Morris.[13][7][4]
Her second book, the sequel to The Tattooist from Auschwitz, Cilka's Journey, was released in 2020 and tells the story of Cilka Kovacova, who was 16 when she arrived in Auschwitz and became the camp commandant's mistress.[13]After her release from the camp she was arrested and sent to the Gulag in Russia where she met her husband Ivan and fled to Canada. As part of the research work for the book, Morris visited Slovakia four times and researched the life of Cilka.[11] [8]She also visited Yad Vashem to further research the Holocaust.
Cilka's stepson, George Kovach from California, sued Morris upon the publication of the book, because according to him the story is "hurtful, devastating lies", and blurring the boundaries of fact and fiction.[14][15]
The third book in the trilogy Three Sisters, about three sisters who together survive Auschwitz, arrive in Slovakia and immigrate to Israel, was released in 2021.[13][16][5]
Her latest book from 2023, Sisters Under the Rising Sun is about women in the Japanese labor camps in Indonesia during World War II.[13]
Personal life
Heather married Steve Morris in 1973. Her first son was born in 1976, her second son in 1980, and her daughter in 1985. Morris lives with her family in Australia.
Bibliography
The Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy
- 2017- The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Bonnier Publishing Fiction
- 2019 - Cilka's Journey, St. Martin's Publishing Group
- 2021 - Three Sisters, Center Point Large Print
Other novels
- 2020 - Stories of Hope, Bonnier Books UK
- 2022 - Listening Well St. Martin's Publishing Group
- 2023 - Sisters Under the Rising Sun, St. Martin's Publishing Group
References
- ^ Morris, Heather. "How I told the story of the tattooist of Auschwitz". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ a b c "Home2024". Heather Morris. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ a b "The Tattooist Of Auschwitz author Heather Morris on why now is the perfect time for a TV adaptation". BreakingNews.ie. 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ a b "We All Bleed Red: A Conversation with Heather Morris". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ "A love story in Auschwitz". Bookbrunch. 20240507BST09:16:59. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Howard, Harry (2024-05-02). "Heather Morris tells of final moments with Tattooist of Auschwitz". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ a b "Five minutes with Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz". HerCanberra. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ "The tattooist of Auschwitz - who fell in love as he inked a number on a prisoner's arm". The Independent. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ An Interview with Heather Morris, author of THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, retrieved 2020-05-18
- ^ a b "Heather says it's a novel. The Auschwitz Memorial says it's 'dangerous'". ABC News. 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ Rowland, Michael (2019-09-22). "Tattooist of Auschwitz author feuds with museum over accuracy on eve of sequel". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ a b c d "These Heather Morris Books Are Must-Reads After Binging The Tattooist of Auschwitz". NBC Insider Official Site. 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ Chaudhary, Vivek (2020-02-21). "The Tattooist of Auschwitz Heather Morris is sued over new blockbuster". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ Flood, Alison (2019-10-03). "Sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz branded 'lurid and titillating' by survivor's stepson". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ hradmin (2021-09-30). "Three Sisters: How One Family Survived Auschwitz". The History Reader. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
External links
