Sofia Samatar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sofia Samatar
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| Born | Indiana, United States |
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| Alma mater | Goshen College, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Genre | Fantasy, mythology, postmodernism |
| Notable works | A Stranger in Olondria (2013), The White Mosque (2022) |
| Notable awards | British Fantasy Award, World Fantasy Award, John W. Campbell Award, Crawford Award |
| Spouse | Keith Miller |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | Said Sheikh Samatar (father) |
Sofia Samatar is an American writer, teacher, and scholar from Indiana. She is known for her fantasy novels and short stories. She also teaches English at James Madison University.
Early Life and Education
Sofia Samatar was born in northern Indiana, United States. Her father, Said Sheikh Samatar, was a Somali scholar and writer. Her mother is Swiss-German and from North Dakota. Sofia's parents met in 1970 in Mogadishu, Somalia. Her mother was teaching English there at the time.
Samatar went to a Mennonite high school. Later, she studied at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana. She earned a degree in English from there. In 1997, Samatar received a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She studied African languages and literature. In 2013, she earned her Ph.D. in modern Arabic literature.
Writing Career
Sofia Samatar is a professor of English at James Madison University.
Her first novel, A Stranger in Olondria, came out in 2013. This book is a fantasy story.
Samatar has also written poems called qasīdas in English. She worked with her brother on a book of illustrated prose poems. This book is titled Monster Portraits and was published in 2018. A follow-up to A Stranger in Olondria, called The Winged Histories, was released in 2016.
Some of Samatar's main writing inspirations include famous authors like Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf. She is also inspired by Somali mythology. Samatar used to be an editor for a journal called Interfictions. She worked on the nonfiction and poetry sections.
In 2022, she published her first nonfiction book, The White Mosque. This book is a memoir about her trip to Uzbekistan. She traveled there to learn about a unique religious group.
Awards and Recognition
Sofia Samatar's short story "Selkie Stories Are for Losers" was very popular. It was nominated for several big awards in 2014. These included the Nebula and Hugo Awards. It was also a finalist for the British Science Fiction Association Award and the World Fantasy Award.
Her poem "APACHE CHIEF" was nominated for a Rhysling Award.
In 2014, Samatar won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel for A Stranger in Olondria. She also received the World Fantasy Award for the same book. Additionally, Samatar won the 2014 Astounding Award for Best New Writer. She also won the Crawford Award. Her book was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel.
Her collection of short stories, Monster Portraits, was a finalist for the Calvino Prize in 2018.
The White Mosque was a finalist for the 2023 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. It won the 2023 Bernard J. Brommel Award for Biography & Memoir.
Personal Life
Sofia Samatar is married to fellow American writer Keith R. Miller. They have two children together. Although her father was a Muslim, Sofia is a Mennonite, like her mother.
