Nazanine Hozar was born in Tehran, Iran.  Her first novel, Aria, tells the story of the interconnected lives of ten different characters in the 30 years leading up to the 1979 revolution. Published by Knopf Canada in 2019 Aria was a top 10 Globe and Mail bestseller. It has been translated into over 10 languages, as well as short listed for The Prix Medicis, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and the Amazon First Novel Prize. Nazanine holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and is currently working on her second novel.