Lojze Kova i was born in Basel in 1928 to a German mother and Slovenian father. In 1938 the family was exiled to Slovenia, where Kova i lived until his death in 2004. He is considered to be one of Slovenia's most significant authors, and "Newcomers"is widely regarded the most important Slovenian novel of the twentieth century. He received the Pre eren Award for life achievement in 1973, and the Kresnik Award for best novel in 1991 and 2004 for "Crystal Time" and "Things of Childhood." In addition to his novels and short story collections, Kova i also published a number of books for children and young readers. About the Translator: Michael Biggins has translated works by a number of Slovenia's leading contemporary writers. He currently curates the library collections for Russian and East European studies and teaches in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, both at the University of Washington in Seattle."