American-Egyptian writer André Aciman was BOTD in 1951. Born in Alexandria to a Jewish family of Turkish and Italian origin, he and his family fled Egypt in 1965 for Rome, before emigrating to New York. His 1996 memoir Out of Egypt, a vivid account of Alexandria before President Nasser’s rule, was widely praised. He is best known for his 2007 novel Call Me By Your Name, a coming-of-age story about 17 year-old Elio’s romance with a 24 year-old American man. Praised for its sensitive evocation of teenage gay sexuality, the novel won the 2008 Lambda Award for Gay Fiction. A 2017 film version, directed by Luca Guadagnino with a screenplay by James Ivory, was an international hit, significantly boosting Aciman’s literary reputation. He revisited the characters in a 2019 sequel, Find Me, which was less positively received. Aciman is married with three sons, and lives in New York, where he lectures in film and French literature. He earns honorary SuperGay status for his nuanced portrayal of gay male identity and support for LGBTQ representation.