Iranian-born novelist Marsha Mehran was found dead at her home in Ireland. A toxicology report is underway to determine the cause of her “sudden death”. She was 36 years old.
Mehran was best known for her bestselling novel Pomegranate Soup and its sequel, Rosewater and Soda Bread. According to her Amazon author page, she was born in Tehran and escaped the Revolution with her family. She lived in Buenos Aires, The United States, Australia and Ireland. The Irish Times has more about her work:
Part of the inspiration for Pomegranate Soup came from her experiences of Co Mayo, the native county of her former husband, she said. Asked whether it had been important to her that the story had been set in Ireland, Ms Mehran replied: “There is something absolutely mystical about the Irish countryside, and I knew that if there was one place on Earth where my Aminpour sisters could find hope and a fresh start, it would be amongst the heather and clover fields of Éire.
(Via NPR Books).