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.