Maja Novak was born in 1960 in Jesenice, Slovenia. She holds a law degree from the Law Faculty in Ljubljana and has received several prizes for her work. She has published four novels—Izza kongresa, ali umor v teritorialnih vodah (Behind the Congress, or Murder in Territorial Waters, 1993), Cimre (Roommates, 1995), Karfanaum (Karfanaum, 1998) and Ma ja kuga (Cat Plague, 2000)—a collection of short prose, Zverjad (Wild Beasts, 1996), and three books for children. Her work has been translated into several languages. (updated 4/2006)