Born in Romania in 1928, Eliezer ("Elie") Wiesel had a childhood steeped in the traditions of his Orthodox Jewish family. From the moment of his family's deportation to the death camp at Auschwitz and the horrors that awaited there, the teenaged Elie focused all his energies on staying alive. Elie dedicated his life to the pursuit of peaceful, humanitarian goals as a writer and activist. He was a Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate and the author of 57 books, including the Night trilogy, based on his experiences as a prisoner. In 1986 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and called "a messenger to mankind."