Ruhangiz Sharifian
Persian fiction writer and child psychologist, Ruhangiz Sharifian holds an M.A. degree in child psychology from Vienna University. She has devoted much of her literary output to the effects of immigration on the psyche of Iranian immigrants to Europe, North America, Australia, and other parts of the world.
About her interest in fiction since her youth, Sharifian states: “My mother would ask me why I fabricated so many lies. If you see a photograph of me when I was young, I always have a book under my arm and I am always reading. My father was worried about me reading books all the time since he thought I would get behind in my school work. In my senior year in high school, I still read books, studied for university entrance examinations, and also played the piano in the Tehran conservatory.”
In addition to her books on child psychology, Sharifian has been a prolific writer of short stories and novels, including Dastha-ye Basteh (Tied Hands), Cheh Kasi Bavar Mikonad, Rostam—which has been translated as Who is Going to Believe this, Rostam? in English and as Wer Wird Das Glauben, Rostam? in German—for which she won the prestigious Hushang Golshiri Foundation award, Ruzi keh Hezarbar Asheq Shodam (The Day I Fell in Love a Thousand Times), Kart Postal (Postcard), Khoda-ye Man, Khoda-ye Man (Oh My God, Oh My God) [this book was published in Iran as Salha-ye Shekasteh (Broken Years) in 2018 since the original title was not granted a publication permit], and Doran which is an extension of the story of The Last Dream.
Awards:
One short story ( translated to English) was short listed in the London Art Board, 1995. The novel received the award for the best first novel of the year in 2004 by the Golshiri Foundation in Iran, and in addition to receiving many favorable reviews reached the finals of other awards during 2004 and 2005.