Aziz Chouaki

was born in Algiers in 1951. His mother bought him a guitar at the age of ten and he learned to play the Beatles, the Stones, and Jimi Hendrix – everything that was forbidden by the regime. Playing in nightclubs and studying literature soon became his focus. When Islamic terrorism appeared in Algeria in the 1990s, he began to receive threats and moved to France. He currently lives in Paris and has three novels in French, Les Oranges and Aigle, and The Star of Algiers published in English translation (Graywolf Press, USA/Serpent's Tail, UK).

Photo courtesy Jerry Bauer