Ben Pastor was born in Italy and lived for thirty years in the United States, working as a university professor in Illinois, Ohio and Vermont, before returning to her native country. She wrote the nine Martin Bora novels in the famed series published by Bitter Lemon Press. She has also written other novels, including the highly acclaimed The Water Thief and The Fire Waker, and is considered one of the most talented writers in historical fiction. In 2008, she won the Premio Zaragoza for best historical fiction, and in 2018 she was awarded the prestigious Premio Internazionale di Letteratura Ennio Flaiano.
