Sofer, Dalia 1972–

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Sofer, Dalia 1972–

PERSONAL:

Born 1972, in Tehran, Iran; moved to the United States at age ten. Education: Sarah Lawrence College, M.F.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Writer.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Whiting Writers' Award, Yaddo residency.

WRITINGS:

The Septembers of Shiraz, Ecco/HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Dalia Sofer was born 1972, in Tehran, Iran, but moved to the United States with her family when she was ten years old. She grew up in New York City, and earned her master of fine arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. A respected writer despite her young age, Sofer was awarded the Whiting Writers' Award and has held a residence at Yaddo. Sofer's first book, The Septembers of Shiraz, was published in 2007, and it is deeply rooted in the world of her childhood and in the life and culture she left behind in Iran, as well as in the difficulties and marvels of adapting to life in a new country. The book features the Amims, a Jewish family living in Iran. Sofer explores their life during the difficult political situation from September 1981 to September 1982. During this period, the family finds itself put in a precarious position because Isaac, the head of the household and a respected and prosperous jeweler and gem merchant, has many longtime customers who are members of the aristocracy, including the Shah's wife. The book opens as Isaac is arrested, taken from his office in broad daylight by members of the Revolutionary Guard. Readers learn of the fate not only of Isaac, but of his family members, including his wife Farnaz and their nine-year-old daughter, along with their nearly grown son who, at eighteen, is studying architecture in New York. In a climate where innocent individuals routinely die in prison, whether due to illness or injury or death by firing squad, the primary concern is what will happen to Isaac, followed by the effect of his circumstances on his loved ones. Farnaz attempts to find Isaac while maintaining the household to the best of her abilities. The daughter is not yet old enough to have a firm grasp on the circumstances and so volleys between fear and fantasy. The son, living and working in Brooklyn, turns inward, his resentment at his own situation paramount as he feels the pinch of his family's economic downturn. A contributor to the Iran Writes blog remarked on the book's treatment of pain and suffering, stating that "Sofer, with amazing courage, dares to look into this abyss and freezes everything into words; delightfully, she does it without rage or anger." Claire Messud, writing for the New York Times Book Review, praised the work, commenting that "Sofer is particularly good at illuminating the sensual experiences of her characters—the way that, in extremis, memory and experience are resolved into colors, sounds or scents." She concluded: "In this fickle literary world, it's impossible to predict whether Sofer's novel will become a classic, but it certainly stands a chance."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2007, Deborah Donovan, review of The Septembers of Shiraz, p. 42.

Books, June 2, 2007, Kristin Kloberdanz, review of The Septembers of Shiraz, p. 7; August 11, 2007, "Shattered Lives: A Jewish Family Struggles to Survive in Iran after the Revolution," p. 9.

Interview, August 1, 2007, "Dalia Sofer: As a Child She Fled Her Homeland. As an Adult She Returns—in the Pages of a Debut Novel," p. 80.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2007, review of The Septembers of Shiraz.

Library Journal, April 15, 2007, Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, review of The Septembers of Shiraz, p. 76.

New York Times Book Review, August 5, 2007, Claire Messud, "Lost in Tehran."

Publishers Weekly, April 16, 2007, review of The Septembers of Shiraz, p. 26.

World Literature Today, March 1, 2008, Alan Cheuse, review of The Septembers of Shiraz, p. 10.

Writer's Digest, August 1, 2007, review of The Septembers of Shiraz, p. 31.