Mona Simpson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mona Simpson
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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) Laurene Powell Jobs (sister-in-law) |
Mona Simpson (born Mona Jandali on June 14, 1957) is an American writer. She has written several novels. She studied English at the University of California, Berkeley and literature at Columbia University.
Mona Simpson won an award for her first novel, Anywhere but Here (1986). This book was very popular. It was even made into a movie in 1999. She also wrote a follow-up book called The Lost Father (1992). Her book Off Keck Road (2000) won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. It was also a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Mona Simpson is the younger sister of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. She was born after her parents married. She did not meet Steve Jobs until she was 25 years old. He had been adopted when he was a baby.
Contents
Mona Simpson's Early Life and Education
Mona Jandali was born on June 14, 1957, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Her mother was Joanne Carole Schieble. Her father was Abdulfattah "John" Jandali. Mona's parents divorced in 1962.
When her mother remarried, Mona and her mother took the name of her new husband, George Simpson. In 1970, after another divorce, Mona and her mother moved to Los Angeles. Her mother raised her there on her own.
Mona described herself as a good student. She also said she was "a clown" and "a smart aleck" who made 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 college, she worked during the day. She also worked as a journalist at night and on weekends. She then went to graduate school at Columbia University. She earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree there. While studying at Columbia, she was an editor for Paris Review.
In 1986, Mona's mother was contacted by her first son, Steve Jobs. He had been given up for adoption. Mona did not know she had an older brother until then. Her mother arranged for Mona and Steve to meet in New York. Mona and Steve became good friends. They worked together to find their father. They found him in Sacramento. Mona later wrote about this search in her 1992 novel, The Lost Father.
In 1994, Mona Simpson moved back to Los Angeles. She started teaching creative writing at UCLA in 2001. She also teaches at Bard College in New York.
Mona Simpson's Novels
Mona Simpson's novels often come from her own life experiences. Her first novel, Anywhere But Here (1986), was very successful. It won a Whiting Award. This book was made into a movie in 1999. It starred Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman. Mona published a second book about the same family, The Lost Father (1992).
A Regular Guy (1996) tells the story of a rich tech leader in Silicon Valley. It explores his difficult relationship with a daughter he did not know about.
Off Keck Road (2000) shows 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 book looks at the lives of two women. One is Claire, a composer and mother from America. The other is Lola, her nanny from the Philippines. Lola supports her five children back home. The novel switches between their voices. It shows the differences in their worlds.
Mona Simpson's 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 and Richard later divorced.
Mona Simpson's Books
Novels
- Anywhere But Here (1986) ISBN: 0-394-55283-0
- The Lost Father (1992) ISBN: 0-394-58916-5
- A Regular Guy (1996) ISBN: 0-679-45091-2
- Off Keck Road (2000) ISBN: 0-375-41010-4
- My Hollywood (2010) ISBN: 978-0-307-27352-9
- Casebook (2014) ISBN: 9780345807281
- Commitment (2023) ISBN: 9780593319277
Awards and Honors
- 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
