Marsha Mehran

Marsha Mehran
Born November 11, 1977
Tehran, Iran
Died April 2014 (aged 36)
Lecanvey, County Mayo, Ireland
Occupation Novelist
Partner Christopher Collins
Website
www.marshamehran.com

Marsha Mehran born Mahsa Mehran (Persian: مارشا مهران‎; 11 November 1977 – April 2014) was an Iranian novelist. Her works include the international bestsellers Pomegranate Soup and Rosewater and Soda Bread.

Mehran was born in Tehran. Her family left Iran and migrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1979, at the time of the Iranian Revolution. She grew up in Argentina and the United States, and also lived in Australia and Ireland.[1] [2] Mehran was married to Christopher Collins from County Mayo, Ireland,[3][4] They met when he was a bartender in an Irish pub in Manhattan, New York.[4] They then lived in Ireland for 2 years.[3] In 2013 they were divorced.[5]

Mehran's debut novel, Pomegranate Soup, was published in 2005. It is the story of three sisters who escape Iran at the time of the Revolution and eventually settle in a small town in the west of Ireland, where they open the Babylon Cafe. Mehran used her own family's experiences when writing the novel, which includes a number of recipes and combines "Persian cooking with Irish living."[1] Pomegranate Soup has been translated into fifteen languages to date, and has been published in over twenty countries worldwide.[6]

Her second novel, Rosewater and Soda Bread was published in 2008, and is a continuation of Pomegranate Soup.[7] It marked the second installment of a series that was cut short by her death in April 2014. The series was to run for seven books, the third, Pistachio Rain, was due for publication in 2014.

Her posthumous novel The Margaret Thatcher School of Beauty, published in 2014, is set in Buenos Aires during the Falklands War and tells the story of a group of individuals who gather once a week to recite poetry and tell tales of what has been.[8]

Matador Pictures has optioned Pomegranate Soup, with Kirsten Sheridan slated to write and direct the film.[9]

Mehran was found dead in her rented house in Lecanvey, County Mayo, Ireland, on 30 April 2014, having been dead for about a week. She had lived there as a recluse, and had deteriorated mentally, with the house filled with rubbish. She had suffered from long-term inflammatory bowel disease; the autopsy indicated that this may have a factor in her death, though it was not possible to identify the exact cause.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "RTÉ Television - The Afternoon Show". RTÉ Television. 17 November 2005. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Mehran, Marsha (3 July 2005). "The Long Way Home". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lythgoe, Dennis (28 August 2005). "Author spices up Soup with life experiences". Deseret News. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Milmo, Cahal (1 January 2015). "The mystery of Marsha Mehran - the best-selling young novelist who died a recluse in a rubbish-strewn cottage in Mayo". Irish Independent (Dublin: Irish Independent). Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Novelist vomiting weeks before her death". Iran Times. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2015. She and her husband divorced last year ...
  6. ↑ Marsha Mehran biography, plus links to book reviews and excerpts
  7. ↑ Phillip, Mary (9 November 2008). "Marsha Mehran serves up more Irish magic". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  8. ↑ The Margaret Thatcher School of Beauty - Marsha Mehran - Google Boeken
  9. ↑ Matador Pictures announces six film slate | News | Screen

External links