André Aciman

André Aciman is an American author, born in Alexandria, Egypt, on January 2, 1951. He grew up in a multilingual and multinational family, attending English-language schools in Alexandria before moving to Italy in 1965, and eventually to New York City in 1968. Aciman received his education in the United States, earning a B.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Lehman College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University.

Aciman is known for his literary fiction novels and non-fiction books, often drawing from his personal experiences. His work has been published in numerous prestigious outlets such as The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and The Paris Review. His writing also explores the works of Marcel Proust, with many essays and reviews published on the subject.

Aciman's personal background has significantly influenced his writing. Growing up in Alexandria as a Jew of Turkish and Italian descent, his family was forced to leave Egypt in 1965 due to increasing antisemitism. This experience is reflected in his work, particularly in his Whiting Award-winning memoir "Out of Egypt" (1995), which provides an account of his childhood in post-colonial Egypt.

In addition to his writing, Aciman is also an accomplished scholar and educator. He has taught at Princeton and Bard and is currently Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at The CUNY Graduate Center, where he also serves as chair of the Ph.D. Program in Comparative Literature and founder and director of The Writers' Institute. Aciman has also received recognition for his work, including being named a Visiting Distinguished Writer at Wesleyan University in 2009. His novel "Call Me By Your Name" (2007) was adapted into a critically acclaimed film in 2017.