Mahbod Seraji
Encyclopedia
Mahbod Seraji Ph.D., is an Iran
ian - American writer who currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area, where he works as a Management Consultant.
. But it wasn’t long after his arrival that upheaval and turmoil swept his country as the Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979 setting off a series of events leading to the Iran Hostage Crisis
that lasted 444 days, and Saddam Hussein
’s invasion of Iran
– and Mahbod was forced to change his plans. He continued his education at the University of Iowa
until 1989 where he received his Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees. In his interview on his website Mahbod claims to remain a humble but stubbornly hopeful Iowa Hawkeyes
basketball fan. While a student at Iowa, Mahbod edited Football films for Hayden Fry
's teams in the late 1980s.
, and over the next 20 years held senior positions at companies such as Arthur Andersen
, Forum Corporation
, PeopleSoft Inc., Chiron Corporation
, and Juniper Networks
. Currently, he works as an independent management consultant in the San Francisco Bay area.
is a coming of age novel that examines the human cost of political repression was published by New American Library
, an imprint of Penguin Group
, in May 2009. Rooftops of Tehran was the final selection for Villanova University
's One Book Program and Broward College’s wRites of Spring 2010 Literary Festival. Rooftops of Tehran was also voted as one of top 25 bookclub favorites of 2009. San Francisco Chronicle chose Rooftops of Tehran as one top 50 notable books of Bay Area in 2009.
List of Iranian writers
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...
ian - American writer who currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area, where he works as a Management Consultant.
Early life and education
Mahbod Seraji was born in Bandar Anzali on October 18, 1956 and came to America in May 1976 to study Civil EngineeringCivil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. But it wasn’t long after his arrival that upheaval and turmoil swept his country as the Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979 setting off a series of events leading to the Iran Hostage Crisis
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
that lasted 444 days, and Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
’s invasion of 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...
– and Mahbod was forced to change his plans. He continued his education at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
until 1989 where he received his Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees. In his interview on his website Mahbod claims to remain a humble but stubbornly hopeful Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletics teams that represent the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 24 sports, 11 for men and 13 for women. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are members of the...
basketball fan. While a student at Iowa, Mahbod edited Football films for Hayden Fry
Hayden Fry
John Hayden Fry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University , North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas , and the University of Iowa , compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10...
's teams in the late 1980s.
Professional life
Seraji started his professional career at MotorolaMotorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, and over the next 20 years held senior positions at companies such as Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
, Forum Corporation
Forum Corporation
The Forum Corporation is a global learning and development firm owned by Informa specializing in strategy execution for companies in a broad array of industries. Founded in 1971, the company established itself as a pioneer in the corporate training and education space...
, PeopleSoft Inc., Chiron Corporation
Chiron Corporation
Chiron Corporation was a multinational biotechnology firm based in Emeryville, California that was acquired by Novartis International AG on April 20, 2006. It had offices and facilities in eighteen countries on five continents. Chiron's business and research was in three main areas:...
, and Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is an information technology and computer networking products multinational company, founded in 1996. It is head quartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA. The company designs and sells high-performance Internet Protocol network products and services...
. Currently, he works as an independent management consultant in the San Francisco Bay area.
Writing career
Seraji’s debut novel Rooftops of TehranRooftops of Tehran
Rooftops of Tehran, a novel written by Mahbod Seraji, was published by New American Library, an imprint of the Penguin Group, in May 2009.-Reception:...
is a coming of age novel that examines the human cost of political repression was published by New American Library
New American Library
New American Library is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948; it produced affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works, as well as popular, pulp, and "hard-boiled" fiction. Non-fiction, original, and hardcopy issues were also produced.Victor Weybright and Kurt...
, an imprint of Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
, in May 2009. Rooftops of Tehran was the final selection for Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
's One Book Program and Broward College’s wRites of Spring 2010 Literary Festival. Rooftops of Tehran was also voted as one of top 25 bookclub favorites of 2009. San Francisco Chronicle chose Rooftops of Tehran as one top 50 notable books of Bay Area in 2009.
Works
- Seraji, Mahbod. "Ashura." Velvet Illusions, 2006
- Seraji, Mahbod. "Thirty Years Later." Truthout.org, 2009
- Seraji, Mahbod. "Gambling Ayatollahs." TruthOut.org, 2009
- Seraji, Mahbod. "Rooftops of Villanova." Bookreport, 2010
- Seraji, Mahbod. "Rooftops of Tehran." NAL, 2009
External links
- Rooftops of Tehran Website
- Browne & Miller Literary Associates
- Radio Times with Marty Moscoane
- Interview with Mahbod Seraji on Milwaukee Sentinel
- Meeting Mahbod - Interview with the Iranian Novelist
- Persiansque Interview with Mahbod Seraji
- Review of Rooftops of Tehran on San Francisco Chronicle
- Review of Rooftops of Tehran in Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Rooftops of Tehran Penguin Group
See also
List of Persian poets and authorsList of Iranian writers