Négar Djavadi was born in Iran in 1969 to a family of intellectuals opposed to the regimes both of the Shah, then of Khomeini. She arrived in France at the age of eleven, having crossed the mountains of Kurdistan on horseback with her mother and sister. She is a screenwriter and lives in Paris. Disoriental is her first novel.
France
Négar Djavadi
All Négar Djavadi's books
Upcoming events
Négar Djavadi, Domenico Starnone, and Jhumpa Lahiri to be featured speakers at the 2018 PEN World Voices Festival.
Europa Editions congratulates authors Domenico Starnone and Négar Djavadi, and translators Jhumpa Lahiri and Tina Kover!
Europa Editions congratulates authors Domenico Starnone and Négar Djavadi, and translators Jhumpa Lahiri and Tina Kover!
Négar Djavadi’s “remarkable” (New York Times) novel Disoriental has won the 2019 LAMBDA Literary Award in the category of Bisexual Fiction.
Latest reviews
- “It is just this fascinating mix of history and family mythology and sibling relations and just these family ties over time.”— The Thread, Jan 2 2019
- “Tina Kover’s translation from French is lively and complex...”— Vox, Nov 12 2018
- “In her remarkable novel, “Disoriental,” Negar Djavadi — an Iranian writer who fled her native country after the 1979 revolution and settled in Paris — beautifully captures the “disorientation” of exile and the attempt to reconstruct a self through family stories.”— New York Times, Jun 8 2018
- “Told with clear-eyed propulsive prose, this kaleidoscopic novel is about an Iranian family foraging for a life in France, trying to piece together the shattered parts of their ancestry and identity.”— Electric Literature, May 31 2018
- “Disoriental reveals, through Kimiâ's family history, an alternative version of 20th century Iran not always articulated by the mainstream Western media.”— Metro Silicon Valley, Apr 25 2018
- “The captivating story of a girl who grows into a woman dealing with the burdens of history on her country, her family, and herself, Disoriental offers so much to both non-Iranian and Iranian readers.”— World Literature Today, Apr 25 2018
- “Through the Sadrs, Disoriental contests the myth that refugees’ trauma ends when they find safety for themselves and their family. . . Djavadi’s important, moving tale spans generations and thousands of miles in order to put that struggle front and center.”— Quartzy, Apr 19 2018
- “Djavadi’s writing is not linear. She masterfully takes her reader through multiple parallel journeys in time and space.”— Los Angeles Review of Books, Apr 11 2018
- "Phenomenal! Insightful and compelling."— Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette Bookstore, Mar 26 2018
- "This book is a triumph and humanizes the history of a culture that many have ignored."— Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop, Mar 26 2018
- “Djavadi’s momentous first novel [...] convincingly and powerfully explores the enormous weight of one’s family and culture on individual identity, especially the exile’s.”— Publishers Weekly, Feb 26 2018
- “Authentic, ambitious, richly layered, and very readable.”— Kirkus Reviews, Feb 6 2018
- “A tour de force of storytelling [...] [T]his enchanting novel, well translated and with surprises and delights on every page, perfectly blends historical fact with contemporary themes.”— Library Journal, Feb 1 2018
- “Kimiâ unthreads the narratives of her family history, and the shaping of her own identity, with the insight and verve of a master storyteller.”— Booklist (Starred Review), Feb 1 2018
- “The book offers a fascinating look at a different side to Iran, and adds another LGBTQ voice to the growing canon of Middle-Eastern queer lit.”— Turnaround UK, Jan 24 2018
- Publishers Weekly has included DISORIENTAL in its announcement of the notable titles of Spring 2018!— Publishers Weekly, Dec 8 2017
- "The novel has its serious side, addressing homosexuality, the conflict between liberalism and conservatism in Iran [...], the intervention of England and the U.S. [...]. But the beauty of Disoriental is most importantly its sure-footed storytelling, its captivating characters, and its surprising ending."— Publishers Weekly, Aug 18 2017
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