Aminatta Forna was born in Scotlandand raised in West Africa. Her first book, TheDevil that Danced on the Water, was shortlistedfor the Samuel Johnson Prize 2003. Her novelAncestor Stones was winner of the 2008Hurston Wright Legacy Award, theLiteraturpreis in Germany, was nominated forthe International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and selected by the Washington Post as one of the most important books of 2006. In 2007 Vanity Fair named Aminatta as one of Africa's most promising new writers. Aminatta has also written for magazines and newspapers, radio andtelevision, and presented television documentaries on Africa's history and art. Aminatta Forna lives in London with her husband.