Maya Arad, a prolific author, has penned eleven works of Hebrew fiction encompassing diverse genres, including a verse novel, an academic novel, and a detective story. Many of her books explore the experiences of Israeli expatriates living in the United States. She is widely considered the foremost Hebrew writer outside Israel. 

Born in Israel in 1971, Arad earned a PhD in linguistics from University College London. For the past two decades, she has resided in California, where she currently serves as a writer-in-residence at Stanford University's Taube Center for Jewish Studies.

Arad's novels have garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success, consistently gracing bestseller lists. She was recently awarded the Neumann Prize for a lifetime achievement in Hebrew literature, from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Her novel The Maiden of Kazan received the JBC Prize for translated Hebrew literature, while three others have been shortlisted for the prestigious Sapir Prize.

In March 2024, The Hebrew Teacher, a collection of three novellas translated by Jessica Cohen, was published by New Vessel Press. Her latest novel, Happy New Years, is slated for release in August.