Kader Abdolah (a pen name created in memoriam to friends who died
under persecution by the current Iranian regime) was born in Iran in
1954. While a student of physics in Tehran, he joined a secret leftist
party that fought against the dictatorship of the shah and the
subsequent dictatorship of the ayatollahs. Abdolah wrote for an illegal
journal and clandestinely published two books in Iran. In 1988, he
arrived in the Netherlands as a political refugee. Kader Abdolah is the
author of several books, including the novels My Father's Notebook, The House of the Mosque and most recently The King
which has been longlisted for the 2016 International DUBLIN Literary
Award. He has received several awards, including the Chevalier dans
l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres decoration in 2008.