Simorgh Azardad was born and raised in Iran. An only child, she grew up anchored by a devoted father and guided by a mother whose love was both unconditional and firm.

At the age of eleven, her world shifted dramatically with the political upheaval of 1979 in Iran. What followed was the rise of a totalitarian regime and, soon after, an eight-year war with Iraq. She was too young to fully grasp the magnitude of the tragedy unfolding around her, yet old enough to sense that her country was not moving toward democracy, peace, or prosperity.

As the war intensified, so did the turmoil within her. The weight of repression, uncertainty, and loss shaped her adolescence. By 1988, her mother who had watched helplessly as her only child spiraled into anger, resentment, and depression made the painful but courageous decision to encourage her to leave Iran in search of a different future.

In August 1988, at the age of twenty-one, Simorgh arrived in Canada. Exile reshaped her life. As a young immigrant woman, she found herself navigating the dense fog of displacement struggling to rediscover her identity, explore her sexuality, and claim her place in a new world while carrying the shadows of the old one.

Trailing in the Fog is Simorgh’s debut story. Though set years before she was born, it is inspired by real events. To protect the identities of those involved, she has changed the names of the characters and certain locations.