Molly Antopol

Molly Antopol is an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Stanford University, specializing in fiction writing with a focus on Jewish history, immigrant narratives, and historical fiction.

Her academic background includes an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and she has received prestigious fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the American Academy in Berlin, and Stanford University (as a Wallace Stegner Fellow).

Antopol's research interests center on creative writing, Jewish literature, historical fiction, and Eastern European Jewish history. Her work explores the intersections of personal and political histories, particularly examining how historical events shape individual and family identities across generations. She has a particular focus on the Jewish experience during the Communist era, the Holocaust, and immigrant narratives in America.

Her publications demonstrate a consistent theme of examining identity through historical lenses, with particular attention to how memory functions across generations. Her work spans various formats including short stories, creative nonfiction, book reviews, and literary criticism, all exploring similar thematic concerns of displacement, cultural identity, and historical memory.

• National Book Award nomination
• New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award
• National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Award
• Berlin Prize
• French-American Prize

Antopol has taught at Harvard University, the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Disquiet Literary Seminars in Portugal. She serves on the board of a foundation focused on supporting low-income children and families. Currently, she is completing her novel The After Party, which continues her exploration of themes related to Israel, Eastern Europe, and New York.