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Tatjana Soli

タチヤナ・ソリ

Tatjana Soli

Profile

Gender
Female
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Monterey Peninsula, California → San Diego, California

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, author
Active Years
2000-2025

Education

Stanford University
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Warren Wilson College (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Holds an MFA (Master of Fine Arts)

Awards

James Tait Black Memorial Prize (fiction)
2011
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Organization: James Tait Black Prize committee
Result: Winner
American Library Association Notable Book
2011
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Named
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (First Fiction)
2010
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Category: First Fiction
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: Finalist
New York Times Notable Book
2010
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Organization: The New York Times
Result: Named
New York Times Editors' Choice
2010
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Organization: The New York Times
Result: Named
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
2010
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Organization: Kirkus Reviews
Result: Named
Dana Award
2003
Work: The Lotus Eaters
Organization: Dana Award organization
Result: Winner
William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition
2002
Organization: William Faulkner – William Wisdom
Result: Prize
Willa Award
2019
Work: The Removes
Organization: Willa Award organization
Result: Finalist
Chautauqua Prize (longlisted)
2019
Work: The Removes
Organization: Chautauqua Institution
Result: Longlisted
Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize (longlisted)
2019
Organization: Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Prize organization
Result: Longlisted
True West: Best Fiction
2019
Work: The Removes
Organization: True West Magazine
Result: Named
High Plains Book Award
2019
Work: The Removes
Organization: High Plains Book Award organization
Result: Finalist
Bellwether Prize (finalist)
2006
Organization: Bellwether Prize organization
Result: Finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Lotus Eaters

2010 Novel (war fiction)

A debut novel about a female photojournalist who goes to Vietnam to cover the war and becomes deeply entangled with the country amid its devastation. Uses a bookend/time-shift structure to explore war, love and personal history.

war and the individualclash of culturesfemale perspective
Adaptations
  • [Film (optioned)] The Lotus Eaters (optioned)

The Forgetting Tree

2012 Novel (contemporary fiction)

Set on a California citrus ranch, the novel follows a ranching woman and a Caribbean-born caretaker, exploring illness, cultural intersections and personal transformation.

illness and recoverycultural crossroadsranch life and family

The Last Good Paradise

2015 Novel (contemporary fiction)

The story of an LA couple who flee to a South Sea eco-resort to escape their problems, revealing flawed characters, desires and consequences beneath a luxurious surface.

escape and self-reckoningclass and desiretourism and ethics

The Removes

2018 Novel (historical fiction / Western)

A historical novel depicting the end of the Indian wars through the intertwined fates of General Custer, his wife Libbie, and a settler girl taken captive, examining violence and survival in the American West.

conquest and resistancememory and historyfemale perspective and survival

Bibliography

  • The Lotus Eaters
  • The Forgetting Tree
  • The Last Good Paradise
  • The Removes

Adaptations

  • The Lotus Eaters - optioned for film

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and precise descriptionweaving historical events into personal narrativesuse of non-linear/time-shifted structures
Recurring Motifs
war and traumaclash and intersection of culturesfemale experience and agencylandscape and geography

Legacy

Tatjana Soli is recognized for writing that foregrounds the individual within history, particularly the effects of war and cultural collision. Her debut won a prestigious UK prize and she has since received multiple nominations and selections, establishing her as a significant voice in contemporary American literature.

In Popular Culture

  • The Lotus Eaters has been optioned for film

Quotes

  • "a woman sees war differently"
    Source: Danielle Trussoni, New York Times Book Review (2010) (2010)
  • "Soli’s haunting debut novel begins where it ought to end…"
    Source: Janet Maslin, Books of The Times (The New York Times) (2010)

Trivia

  • The Lotus Eaters won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (fiction).
  • The Removes was named True West Magazine's Best Fiction of 2019.
  • Her short stories and non-fiction have appeared in publications including The New York Times Book Review.