JAMIL NASIR was born in Chicago, Illinois, of a Palestinian refugee father and the American daughter of the inventor of the fork-lift truck. He spent much of his childhood in the Middle East, where he survived two major wars, hiding in cellars and storerooms with his family. He returned to the United States and started college at age 14, studying hard sciences, philosophy of science, English literature, psychology, and Chinese literature and philosophy, finally graduating from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of General Studies.

     Between college stints he hitchhiked extensively over much of North America, working as a carpenter, assistant gardener on an estate, shop clerk, warehouseman, apple-picker, and paralegal, among other things. He finally found himself back in Ann Arbor, where he got a law degree in 1983. Since then he has been employed part-time at a major Washington, D.C. law firm.

     He started selling science fiction in the late 1980's, publishing stories in Asimov's, Universe, Interzone, and a number of other magazines and anthologies. He won a First Prize in the 1988 Writers of the Future competition. His first novel, Quasar, was published in 1995, and his second, The Higher Space, in 1996.

     Mr. Nasir meditates three hours a day, likes to cook, listen to music, play computer games, read, and walk. He lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. He has two beautiful daughters, Aysha, 10, and Mariam, 4.

© Cyfii 2000