Mona Simpson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mona Simpson
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Simpson in 2014
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| Born | Mona Jandali June 14, 1957 Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Columbia University (MFA) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Steve Jobs (brother) Lisa Brennan-Jobs (niece) Reed Jobs (nephew) Eve Jobs (niece) Laurene Powell Jobs (sister-in-law) |
Mona Simpson, born Mona Jandali on June 14, 1957, is an American novelist. She has written seven novels. She studied English at the University of California, Berkeley and later attended Columbia University.
Her first novel, Anywhere but Here (1986), was very popular. It even became a movie in 1999. She also wrote a follow-up book called The Lost Father (1992). Mona Simpson has won several awards for her writing. These include a Whiting Award and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. Her novel Off Keck Road (2000) was also a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Mona Simpson is the younger biological sister of Steve Jobs. He was the co-founder of Apple. She did not meet Steve Jobs until she was 25 years old. This was because he was adopted after he was born.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mona Jandali was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on June 14, 1957. Her mother was Joanne Carole Schieble, and her father was Abdulfattah "John" Jandali. Her parents were students when her older brother, Steve Jobs, was born. He was placed for adoption. Six months later, her mother's father passed away. Then, her parents married and had Mona. They divorced in 1962.
When Mona's mother remarried, both Mona and her mother took the last name of her new husband, George Simpson. After that marriage ended in 1970, Mona's mother moved with her to Los Angeles. She raised Mona on her own.
Mona Simpson described herself as a good student. She also said she was a "clown" who liked to make jokes in class. She went to Beverly Hills High School. She received a scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley. There, she studied poetry. After getting her degree, she worked during the day. She also worked as a journalist at night and on weekends.
She later went to graduate school at Columbia University. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree there. While studying at Columbia, she worked as an editor for Paris Review.
Meeting Her Brother, Steve Jobs
In 1986, Mona's mother was contacted by her son, Steve Jobs. He had been given up for adoption. At that time, Mona did not know she had an older brother. Her mother then arranged for Steve and Mona to meet in New York. Mona was working there. They became good friends. They even worked together to find their biological father. They found him in Sacramento.
Mona later wrote about finding their father in her 1992 novel, The Lost Father. She also wrote a fictional story about Steve Jobs in her 1996 novel, A Regular Guy.
In 1994, Mona Simpson moved back to Los Angeles. She was with her husband at the time, Richard Appel. In 2001, Mona Simpson began teaching creative writing at UCLA. She also teaches at Bard College in New York.
Mona Simpson's Novels
Mona Simpson's novels often draw from her own life experiences. Her first novel, Anywhere But Here (1986), was very successful. It won a Whiting Award. She wanted to write about American dreams and feelings. The book was made into a movie in 1999. It starred Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman. Mona Simpson then published a sequel, The Lost Father (1992).
A Regular Guy (1996) tells the story of a rich businessman from Silicon Valley. It explores his difficult relationship with a daughter he did not acknowledge. Off Keck Road (2000) follows the lives of three women in the Midwest over many years. This book was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. It also won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize.
My Hollywood was published in 2011. This novel looks at the relationships between two women. One is Claire, a composer and mother from America. The other is Lola, an immigrant nanny from the Philippines. Lola supports her five children back home. The book switches between their voices, showing their different worlds.
Personal Life
Mona Simpson married television writer and producer Richard Appel in 1993. They had two children together. Richard Appel was a writer for The Simpsons. He named Homer Simpson's mother, Mona Simpson, after his wife. This happened in the episode "Mother Simpson". Mona Simpson and Richard Appel later divorced.
Works
Novels
- Anywhere But Here (1986)
- The Lost Father (1992)
- A Regular Guy (1996)
- Off Keck Road (2000)
- My Hollywood (2010)
- Casebook (2014)
- Commitment (2023)
Essays
- "A Sister's Eulogy for Steve Jobs." The New York Times, October 30, 2011.
Awards
- 1986: Whiting Award
- 1987: Hodder Fellowship (Princeton University)
- 1988: Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1995: Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fellowship
- 2001: Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize
- 2001: Finalist: PEN/Faulkner award
- 2008: Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
See also
In Spanish: Mona Simpson para niños
