Ottessa Moshfegh is a highly acclaimed American novelist, known for her distinctive and unique writing style. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1981, and spent her formative years in New England. Moshfegh is of mixed ancestry, with her mother hailing from Croatia and her father from Iran, a background that has no doubt contributed to her rich and varied literary perspective.
Moshfegh's journey to becoming a successful author is a classic case of rags-to-riches, figuratively and literally. After graduating from Barnard College with a Bachelor of Arts in English, she went on to pursue her Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing at Brown University. Since then, she has become a consistent contributor to several renowned publications, establishing herself as a prominent figure in the literary world.
Moshfegh's debut novel, Eileen, was a critical success, earning her the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and a spot on the shortlist for the Booker Prize. This was just the beginning of her meteoric rise to fame, as her subsequent novels, My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Death in Her Hands, both became New York Times bestsellers. In addition to her novels, Moshfegh has also published a short story collection, Homesick for Another World, and a novella, McGlue. She is currently working on her latest novel, Lapvona, which is set to be released soon.
Despite her success, Moshfegh remains a humble and grounded individual, living in Southern California and continuing to contribute to the literary world with her unique and captivating writing style. Her work has been praised for its dark humor, sharp social commentary, and complex characters, and she has earned a devoted following of readers who appreciate her unflinching and unapologetic approach to storytelling.