Habib Tengour

was born in Mostaganem, west Algeria, in 1947. His family moved to France to escape persecution when he was five years old. He studied Sociology in France, and later, when in Algeria to do his military service, studied at Constantine University. In 1976 he published his first and surrealist poetic work, Tapapakitaques ou la poésie-île. As well as publishing in literary journals and poetry anthologies, Tengour has also published many collections of poems, novels and poetic texts. He currently lives and works in Constantine and Paris teaching at universities in both countries. He is one of the best known francophone poetic voices of North Africa. See Banipal 10 and Banipal 14 for more of his works.