Azar Aryanpour was born to a prominent Iranian family of literary men and women. Graduating from high school with the highest honors, Azar received a scholarship to continue her education abroad. She left for the United States in 1957 with her husband to further their education.
After studying English Literature at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio for two years, the author later attended the University of Pennsylvania and completed her studies with a degree in education from the University of Akron, Ohio.
After returning to Iran, Ms. Arynapour taught children’s literature and philosophy of education at the College of Shemiran and the National University, and also worked as a freelance writer. She translated both How Man Became a Giant and part of The Ascent of Man from English to Farsi and received considerable acclaim for her command of both languages. She is the compiler of several children’s stories and has also compiled a book of lyrics entitled Songs from Four Continents.
Disrupted from her work toward a Ph.D. in Persian Literature at Tehran University in 1978 when the revolution in Iran broke out, her husband was wrongfully imprisoned and sentenced to life. Azar managed to escape to the United States where she and her three children started a new life, living and working successfully.
The author returned to school and received her M.L.S. degree at Rutgers Univeristy in New Jersey and became the librarian at the Center for Urban Policy Research. Her children have also been successful: Roxana is a Ph.D. candidate in education, Ramin is the president of a general contracting company, and Babak is an orthopaedic surgeon. Ms. Aryanpour also has three grand children: Kayvan, Kamron, and Kimya.
