Porochista Khakpour
Encyclopedia
Porochista Khakpour is an Iranian American novelist.
Born in Tehran
, Iran
, Khakpour was raised in South Pasadena
, California
, later attending Sarah Lawrence College
in New York
for her BA. She received her MA from Johns Hopkins University
(Writing Seminars). Khakpour was an arts and entertainment journalist early in her career. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times
, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast
, The Chicago Reader
, The Village Voice
, Paper, Nylon, Flaunt
, URB, Bidoun
and nerve.com.
Her first novel, Sons and Other Flammable Objects (Grove/Atlantic) was published in September 2007 to great critical acclaim. The lyrical dark comedy, centered on the aftermath of 9/11 and Iranian fathers and sons in Los Angeles
and New York, was a New York Times Editor's Choice and was included on the Chicago Tribune's 2007 Fall's Best list. It won the 77th annual California Book Award prize in First Fiction. She has been longlisted for the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize
, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards for young writers, and shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize. Her writing has been compared to that of Zadie Smith
and Philip Roth
.
Born in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Khakpour was raised in South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, later attending Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for her BA. She received her MA from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
(Writing Seminars). Khakpour was an arts and entertainment journalist early in her career. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
, The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded in 1971 by a group of friends from Carleton College...
, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, Paper, Nylon, Flaunt
Flaunt
Flaunt is a monthly American fashion culture magazine founded by the current editor-in-chief, Luis Barajas, and creative director, Jim Turner, also the founders of Detour magazine. Long Nguyen, a third founder and style director, also was working on Detour for four years...
, URB, Bidoun
Bidoun
Bidoun is a quarterly print magazine published in New York and subtitled "art and culture from the Middle East." The magazine was founded in 2004 by Editor-in-Chief Lisa Farjam...
and nerve.com.
Her first novel, Sons and Other Flammable Objects (Grove/Atlantic) was published in September 2007 to great critical acclaim. The lyrical dark comedy, centered on the aftermath of 9/11 and Iranian fathers and sons in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York, was a New York Times Editor's Choice and was included on the Chicago Tribune's 2007 Fall's Best list. It won the 77th annual California Book Award prize in First Fiction. She has been longlisted for the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize
Dylan Thomas Prize
The Dylan Thomas Prize is the world’s top cash prize for young writers. The annual prize, named in honor of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a cash award of £30,000 . It is open to published writers in the English language under the age of thirty. The prize...
, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards for young writers, and shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize. Her writing has been compared to that of Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith is a British novelist. To date she has written three novels. In 2003, she was included on Granta's list of 20 best young authors...
and Philip Roth
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
.
External links
- Khakpour's website
- Sunday New York Times Book Review of Sons and Other Flammable Objects
- The New Yorker review
- Los Angeles Times feature
- Interview by Tao Lin
- San Francisco Chronicle review
- Iranian.com interview
- Khakpour on Studio 360 with Kurt Anderson/ NPR interview
- Khakpour on The Leonard Lopate Show
- NY Times Op-Ed Essay-"Summerscapes" series
- NY Times Op-Ed Essay: "Islamic Revolution Barbie"
- NY Times Op-Ed Essay: "Finally, 'Thirtysomething?'"
- NY Times Op-Ed Essay: "My Nine Years as a Middle-Eastern American"
- NY Times Op-Ed Essay: "Ringing in the Year 1390"
- L.A. Times essay on Iranians in pop culture
- Daily Beast personal essay
- Salon "The King of Iranian-American Flash and Trash"
- Porochista Khakpour reads from Sons and Other Flammable Objects on Apostrophe Cast
- The Rumpus essay on Sadegh Hedayat's Blind Owl
- Poets and Writers magazine cover, with Danzy Senna