Mortada Gzar is an Iraqi American writer, filmmaker, visual artist, and political cartoonist. He is the author of the memoir I’m in Seattle, Where Are You?, which was long-listed for the PEN Translation Prize; four novels; a children’s book; and a short-story collection. He has also illustrated two books for children and has had his work published in Words Without Borders, World Literature Today, and Iraq + 100: The First Anthology of Science Fiction to Have Emerged from Iraq, as well as numerous Arabic newspapers. Gzar is the creator of the Seattle Arab Film Festival, and his film Language was awarded a grant by the Doha Film Institute. He was born in Kuwait in 1982, grew up in Basra, Iraq, and now lives in Seattle, Washington. For more information, visit www.mortadagzar.co.

“The novel, written originally in Arabic, has a not-uncommon lyrical style and some use of magic realism. The English translation has maintained these aspects of the original superbly. Most readers would be delighted to read this novel about Charlotte’s adventures in the Iraqi wonderland and gain insight into that region’s history.” —Historical Novels Review“Original, exceptional, eloquently crafted, inherently fascinating and an entertaining read from start to finish, The River Knows My Name is [a] rich and immersive novel with which author Mortada Gzar (ably translated into English by Luke Leafgren) explores the power of belief, the drive for escape, and the exhilaration of self-discovery.” —Midwest Book Review“Gzar presents an unforgettable girl, a kind of stranger in a strange land, who is gifted with abundant imagination, depth of feeling, and a fearlessness we all might envy…This is a novel in which emotional delicacy and comic absurdity meld seamlessly.” —Sun Yung Shin, poet and author of The Wet Hex“A sweeping, impassioned work of delirium and history that is also a stunning evocation of—and homage to—the natural world of the Iraqi marshes.” —Yasmeen Hanoosh, literary translator, author, and critic

Mortada Gzar is an Iraqi American writer, filmmaker, visual artist, and political cartoonist. He is the author of the memoir I’m in Seattle, Where Are You?, which was long-listed for the PEN Translation Prize; four novels; a children’s book; and a short-story collection. He has also illustrated two books for children and has had his work published in Words Without Borders, World Literature Today, and Iraq + 100: The First Anthology of Science Fiction to Have Emerged from Iraq, as well as numerous Arabic newspapers. Gzar is the creator of the Seattle Arab Film Festival, and his film Language was awarded a grant by the Doha Film Institute. He was born in Kuwait in 1982, grew up in Basra, Iraq, and now lives in Seattle, Washington. For more information, visit www.mortadagzar.co.

“The novel, written originally in Arabic, has a not-uncommon lyrical style and some use of magic realism. The English translation has maintained these aspects of the original superbly. Most readers would be delighted to read this novel about Charlotte’s adventures in the Iraqi wonderland and gain insight into that region’s history.” —Historical Novels Review“Original, exceptional, eloquently crafted, inherently fascinating and an entertaining read from start to finish, The River Knows My Name is [a] rich and immersive novel with which author Mortada Gzar (ably translated into English by Luke Leafgren) explores the power of belief, the drive for escape, and the exhilaration of self-discovery.” —Midwest Book Review“Gzar presents an unforgettable girl, a kind of stranger in a strange land, who is gifted with abundant imagination, depth of feeling, and a fearlessness we all might envy…This is a novel in which emotional delicacy and comic absurdity meld seamlessly.” —Sun Yung Shin, poet and author of The Wet Hex“A sweeping, impassioned work of delirium and history that is also a stunning evocation of—and homage to—the natural world of the Iraqi marshes.” —Yasmeen Hanoosh, literary translator, author, and critic