Rostam

Rostam Batmanglij was born on a foggy day at the end of November, 1983, in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. In 1979, his parents, newly married, fled Iran separately—travelling apart for security reasons—they reunited in southern France, where they claimed refugee status. His mother was pregnant with his older brother Zal at the time. Less than four years later, they left France for the United States. Rostam’s mother was once again pregnant— this time, with him. “I was born in the United States, sort of just barely,” Rostam says. “It's something I think about. I could run for President, the rest of my family wouldn’t be able to. Growing up in D.C., you are saturated in the political.” “I was often asked as a kid, ‘Do your parents work in politics?’ What they chose to do professionally has a purpose to it, but they don’t work in government.” Rostam continues, “My parents founded a publishing company called Mage Publishers in 1985. The company’s mission statement was ‘Bridging East and West’. The early eighties were a complicated time to be Iranian-American. The only things Americans learned about Iran were connected to Islamic Fundamentalism,” he says. "My parents wanted to cut against the grain of that perception and highlight the depth of Persian culture. Persian poetry, mythology, philosophy, cooking, and music go back thousands of years. My parents felt like Americans had little-to-no sense of Iran’s cultural heritage.”

Photo Credit: Anya Bondell/Courtesy of artist