Shokoofeh Azar

Shokoofeh Azar is an Iranian-Australian author and journalist known for her evocative storytelling and lyrical, poetic prose. Born in Iran, she began her career as a journalist before fleeing the country in 2010 due to political persecution.

Her debut novel, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, was translated into English and twelve other languages, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Stella Prize and the 2020 International Booker Prize, as well as PEN and National literary awards. Her second novel, The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen, was published in June 2025, with simultaneous releases in six countries, and was shortlisted for the 2026 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

Azar’s work is often situated within the tradition of magical realism, engaging deeply with themes of religious and political oppression, displacement, cultural resilience, and the porous boundary between mythology and lived reality. Her writing draws extensively on Persian cultural heritage as well as her own lived experience.

Following the mass killing of more than 80,000 Iranians in January 2026, Azar has returned her primary focus to journalism. She now writes regularly for The Australian, producing reports and narrative features on developments inside Iran. Alongside her journalistic work, she continues to work on her forthcoming novel, Mithra and Her Abandoned Tree.