Dinaw Mengestu is an author from Ethiopia. His three novels have all been published in the U.S., including How to Read the Air and All Our Names. Additionally, he has been published in notable outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone Magazine. His work traditionally focuses on the lives of immigrants to the U.S., of which he himself is intimately familiar.
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears is Mengestu's first novel. It was the debut of his career in long-form authorship. The book revolves around the life of an Ethiopian immigrant living in Washington D.C. as he tries to make sense of this culture that is vastly different from his own. Though not admittedly autobiographical, the similarities between Mengestu's life and that of Stephanos -- the protagonist of the novel -- are undeniable. They both hail from Ethiopia, both moved to major U.S. cities, and both adapted to their new communities quickly without abandoning their native culture. The book has been translated into twelve different languages and awarded The Guardian First Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction.
