Gina B. Nahai (, born December 9, 1961) is the author of ''Cry of the Peacock'', ''Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith'', ''Sunday's Silence'' and ''Caspian Rain''. Her novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She was also a lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing (MPW) Program at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Early life and education

Gina Barkhordar Nahai was born and grew up in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

during the

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

's reign to a

Persian Jewish Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (historically known as Persia) during th ...

family, and left with her family shortly before the country's revolution. At age 13, she began attending boarding school in Switzerland and later moved to the United States in 1977, arriving in Los Angeles the night

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

died. At the time, she did not realize she was leaving Iran for good. In college, she studied political science, including Iran's pre- and post-revolutionary politics, at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

for both her bachelor's and master's of art degrees. Nahai speaks

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, English, French, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Writing and career

Nahai lives with her family in Los Angeles, where she formerly taught fiction writing at the

's Master of Professional Writing program, where she also studied with

John Rechy John Francisco Rechy (born March 10, 1931) is a Mexican-American novelist and essayist. His novels are written extensively about gay culture in Los Angeles and wider America, among other subject matter. '' City of Night'', his debut novel publis ...

and earned her Master of Professional Writing degree. She previously taught at UCLA and worked at the

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...

. She is a frequent lecturer on Iranian Jewish history and the topic of

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

. Nahai writes frequently for the Los Angeles-based ''

Jewish Journal ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', known simply as the ''Jewish Journal'', is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by the nonprofit TRIBE Media Corp. It ...

''. She is currently working on a new novel, ''The Pearl Cannon''.

Awards and honors

Nahai and her writings have been nominated for and received numerous awards and honors. Following are some of the more prominent ones: * 2020: ''The Luminous Heart of Jonah S.'' selected as “One of The Margins‘s 100 Essential Books by Iranian Writers,” '' Asian American Writers' Workshop'' * 2016:

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

(longlist) * 2014: JJ Greenberg Memorial Award (finalist),

Jewish Book Council The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1943, is an American organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature. The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of quali ...

* 2013: Best Columnist (finalist),

Los Angeles Press Club The Los Angeles Press Club is an American journalism organization founded in 1913. It honors journalists through its annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and SoCal Journalism Awards. As of 2023, the Los Angeles Press Club hosted ...

* 2008: Persian Heritage Award, first place * 2007: ''Caspian Rain'' nominated by MacAdam/Cage for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

* 2007: ''Caspian Rain'' nominated by MacAdam/Cage for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

* 2007: ''Caspian Rain'' selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' * 2002: Simon Rockower Award (winner) * 2001: ''Sunday's Silence'' selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' * 2000:

Orange Prize The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...

for Fiction (finalist) * 2000:

(finalist) * 1999: ''Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith'' selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” ''

'' * 1992: ''Cry of the Peacock'' nominated by Crown Publishers for the

* 1985: Nelson Algren Award (honorable mention), '' Chicago Magazine''

Bibliography

*'' Cry of the Peacock'' (1991) *'' Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith'' (1999) *'' Sunday's Silence'' (2001) *"Mercy" (an essay in '' The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt'') (2006) *'' Caspian Rain'' (2007) *''The Luminous Heart of Jonah S.'' (2014)

References

External links

Official Site

Facebook fan page

May 30, 1999, New York Times (review of ''Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith'', by Edward Hower) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nahai, Gina B. Writing teachers University of Southern California faculty Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists 1961 births American writers of Iranian descent Jewish American academics Jewish American novelists Jewish women writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women academics 21st-century American Jews