Abdellah Taïa was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1973. He is the first Moroccan and Arab writer to publicly declare his homosexuality. Editions du Seuil has published five of his books, including L'armée du salut (translated into English in 2009 by Semiotext(e)), Une mélancolie arabe (forthcoming in English from Semiotext(e) in 2012), and Lettres à un jeune marocain. His latest novel, Le jour du Roi, was awarded the prestigious French Prix de Flore in 2010. His work has been translated into several languages. He has also appeared in Rémi Lange's film The Road to Love (2001). He lives in Paris.

photo: Jeremy Stigter