Soman Chainani

‘‘ How can a whole town believe in fairy tales? ’’

—Agatha^[src]

---

This article needs citations. You could help cite sources of information by contributing.

Soman Chainani’s first novel, The School for Good and Evil, debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, has been on ABA’s National Indie Bestseller List for twelve weeks, has been translated into languages across six continents, and will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Studios, produced by Joe Roth and Jane Startz.

Soman is a graduate of the MFA Film Program at Columbia University, and the recipient of the school’s top prize, the FMI Fellowship for Writing and Directing. His short films, DAVY & STU and KALI MA,have played over 150 international film festivals, won over thirty jury and audience awards, and racked up over 1,000,000 YouTube hits. His writing awards include honors from Big Bear Lake, the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship, and the coveted Shasha Grant, awarded by a jury of international film executives. He was also nominated for a NewNowNext Award, sponsored by MTV.

Before joining the Columbia University film program, Chainani graduated Harvard University summa cum laude, with a degree in English & American Literature. While at Harvard, he focused on fairy tales and wrote his thesis on why evil women make such irresistible fairy-tale villains, winning the Thomas Hoopes Prize and Briggs Prize for his work.

His recent projects include the musical MUMBO JUMBO for Aardman Animation, WEDDING HOUSE, a dramatic series for Tiger Aspect Productions in the UK, and his first feature film, LOVE MARRIAGE,which he will both write and direct.

When he’s not telling stories on the page or on film, Soman is a die-hard tennis player and fan.

Soman Chainani’s first two novels, The School for Good and Evil and A World Without Princes debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List and have been translated into 23 languages across six continents. The School for Good and Evil will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Studios, produced by Joe Roth (SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL) and Jane Startz (TUCK EVERLASTING, ELLA ENCHANTED).

Soman Chainani’s debut series, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, has sold more than 2.5 million copies, been translated into 30 languages across 6 continents, and will soon be a major motion picture from Netflix.

Each of the five books in the series — THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, A WORLD WITHOUT PRINCES, THE LAST EVER AFTER, QUESTS FOR GLORY, and A CRYSTAL OF TIME — have debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. Together the books have been on the print and extended lists for more than 35 weeks.

The sixth and final book in the series (One True King) was released in 2020.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s MFA Film Program, Soman began his career as a screenwriter and director, with his films playing at over 150 film festivals around the world. He has been nominated for the Waterstone Prize for Children’s Literature, been named to the Out100, and also received the $100,000 Shasha Grant and the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship, both for debut writers.

Soman lives in New York City.

As of current, Soman is working on his new novel and maintains a diary about his writing, in which he also shares about his perspectives on the School for Good and Evil books.