Akhtar Naraghi
Akhtar Naraghi is an Iranian-born writer who has long resided in Canada. She holds a Ph.D.. in English literature from McGill University and works in English. Her novels are all written in the first person, and revolve around the narrator’s efforts to make a home in new surroundings, in different cultures. She has published three novels, The Big Green House (1994), Blue Curtains (1999) and With Mara That Summer (2004). In these, the narrator-protagonist recounts episodes from her life, beginning in early childhood and ending with her declining years.
Naraghi is also the author of two collections of verse, Legacy (1992) and Solitude (1996), in addition to having contributed forewords, articles and short stories to numerous journals.
In 1987 she founded the International Organization of the Helen Prize for Women, named for Dr. Helen Caldicott, the creator of Physicians for Social Responsibility. The Helen Prize annually honors the achievements of women of the world, whatever their backgrounds or fields of endeavor.
