Randa Jarrar
Encyclopedia
Randa Jarrar is an American novelist, short story writer, and translator.
and Egypt
, and moved to New York at the age of 13. She attended Sarah Lawrence College
, and studied creative writing, then went on to receive a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from UT Austin and a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan
. She has taught College Writing, Creative Writing, and Arab-American literature.
A Map of Home has also been published in Taiwan, Germany, Italy, China, and Israel.
She is Assistant Professor of English at California State University, Fresno, and is at work on a collection of stories and a second novel.
Life
She grew up in KuwaitKuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and moved to New York at the age of 13. She attended 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...
, and studied creative writing, then went on to receive a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from UT Austin and a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. She has taught College Writing, Creative Writing, and Arab-American literature.
A Map of Home has also been published in Taiwan, Germany, Italy, China, and Israel.
She is Assistant Professor of English at California State University, Fresno, and is at work on a collection of stories and a second novel.
Awards
- 2004 Million Writers Award for best short story online
- 2007 Hopwood Award for Best Novel
- 2008 Chamberlain Prize
- 2009 Arab American Book AwardArab American Book AwardThe Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 to celebrate and support the research of, and the written work of, Arab Americans and their culture. The Arab American Book Award encourages the publication and excellence of books that preserve and advance the understanding, knowledge, and...
- 2010 Beirut 39 (Best 39 writers of Arab origin under 40)