Habib Selmi
was born in al-’Ala, Tunisia, in 1951. He has published four novels and two collections of short stories. A number of the stories have been translated into English, Norwegian, Hebrew and French.
His first novel, Jabal al-’Anz [Goat Mountain], was published in French translation in 1999. His novel, Ushaq Bayya [Bayya's Lovers] was published in French translation in 2003 and excerpted in Banipal 18.
Other novels include Surat Badawi Mayyit (Picture of a Dead Bedouin), 1990, Matahat al-Raml (Sand Labyrinth), 1994, Hufar Dafi’a (Warm Pits), 1999, ‘Ushashaqq Baya (Bayya’s Lovers), 2001, and Asrar ‘Abdallah (Abdallah’s Secrets), 2004.
Habib Selmi has lived in Paris since 1985. His latest novel, [The Scents of Marie-Claire], was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2008-2009.
Contributor's Issues
Banipal No 4 Spring 1999
Banipal No 30 Autumn/Winter 2007
Banipal No 39 Modern Tunisian Literature
Banipal No 18 Autumn 2003
Banipal No 34 published April 2009
Latest News
06/02/2012At a celebration of literary translation on Monday 6 February at Kings Place, Khaled Mattawa will receive the 2011 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
[read more]03/02/2012
The Mosaic Rooms celebrates theartistic and poetic works of the great Syrian poet Adonis with talks and events from 3-8 February and an exhibition of Adonis's collages from 3 February until 30 March. The opening evening this Friday sees Adonis in conversation with Khaled Mattawa who is the winner of the 2011 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for his translation Adonis: Selected Poems.
[read more]16/01/2012
Khaled Mattawa wins the 2011 Saif Ghobash-Banipal Translation Prize for Adonis:Selected Poems
[read more]12/01/2012
Chair of IPAF Judges Georges Tarabichi announces the shortlist authors of the 2012 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
[read more]09/01/2012
Banipal Book Club's first book for discussion is The Tobacco Keeper by Ali Bader.
[read more]08/01/2012
Ibrahim Aslan, one of Egypt's best-loved authors, has died of heart failure at the age of 77.
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