Olga Grjasnowa was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, moved to Germany at the age of twelve, and spent extended periods in Poland, Russia, and Israel. Grjasnowa is a graduate of the German Institute for Literature/Creative Writing in Leipzig. In 2010, her debut play, Mitfühlende Deutsche (Compassionate Germans) was awarded the Dramatist Prize of the Wiener Wortstätten. Her debut novel, All Russians Love Birch Trees, was longlisted for the German Man Booker. Her latest, City of Jasmine, made Library Journal’s Reading Around the World: 12 Top Spring Titles for the Library Market.