WORDS & MUSIC: A Purim Celebration of Persian Jewish Experience with Dalia Sofer

Join acclaimed author Dalia Sofer (The Septembers of Shiraz, Man of My Time) for an intimate conversation in celebration of Purim. Sofer, who was born in Tehran and moved to the U.S. as a child, writes novels about characters pulled between places and times—one crucial place being Iran. In celebration of our Persian/Iranian Jewish holiday of Purim, Sofer will talk about Iran, her life, and her art.

Dalia Sofer’s novels have been translated and published in 16 countries. Man of My Time (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020) was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and Notable Book of 2020. The Septembers of Shiraz (Ecco Press, 2007) was also selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the Jewish Book Award.

A recipient of a Whiting Award, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, the Sami Rohr Choice Award, the Sirenland Fellowship, the Santa Maddalena Foundation Fellowship, and multiple residencies at Yaddo, Sofer has contributed essays and reviews to various publications, including The New York Times Book Review, The LA Review of Books, and The Believer. Sofer teaches in the MFA Program at the City University of New York (CUNY) City College.

This is the first installment in our brand-new WORDS & MUSIC series, bringing extraordinary makers and thinkers to Central to explore the stories and sounds that shape Jewish tradition.