Her debut novel, The Septembers of Shiraz, received the Sami Rohr Prize Choice Award and the PEN/Robert Bingham Prize, and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and Orange Prize. She graduated from New York University and received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Marking its tenth anniversary, the novel remains particularly relevant during a time when renewed attention is given to the plight of refugees and to the vulnerability of Jews and other minority groups in many lands during troubling times.īorn in Tehran in 1972, Dalia Sofer came with her family to the United States in 1983. Sofer masterfully captures the small tensions and larger brutalities that sharply affect a family that does not conform.

Far away in Brooklyn, Isaac’s son, Parviz, though not religious, falls for the pious daughter of his Hasidic landlord. His wife, Farnaz, struggles to keep from slipping into despair, while his young daughter, Shirin, tries to take matters into her own hands. Sofer’s novel is set in Tehran in 1981, as Jewish gem trader Isaac Amin is imprisoned by the Revolutionary Guard. On the bookshelf for 2017-18: The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer Stimulated by a selected book and its themes, the program connecting readers through discussions, events, and informal conversations. Bingham Prize Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and the Orange Prize “As intelligent as it is gripping.” - Kirkus Review “This is a story that needs to be told…timely and ripe for discussion.” - Library JournalĪ yearlong conversation reaching Bay Area adults through opportunities for lively Jewish learning. A project of the Jewish Community Library Winner of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature Choice Award and PEN/Robert W.

The septembers of shiraz by dalia sofer