Amin Zaoui (born 25 November 1956) is an Algerian novelist. He was born in

Bab el Assa Bab El Assa is a town and commune in Tlemcen Province in northwestern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Al ...

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...

province and studied at the

University of Oran University of Oran ( ar, جامعة وهران, french: Université d'Oran), or Es Sénia University (Arabic: ), is a university located in western Algeria in the wilaya of Oran. It was established in November 1961 as part of the University of A ...

, obtaining a PhD in comparative literature. He moved to France during the

Algerian civil war The Algerian Civil War ( ar, rtl=yes, الْحَرْبُ الْأَهْلِيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, al-Ḥarb al-ʾAhlīyah al-Jazāʾirīyah) was a civil war in Algeria fought between the Algerian government and various Is ...

, but returned home in 1999. He has served as the Director General of the National Library of Algeria, and currently teaches comparative literature at the Central Algerian University. Zaoui is a bilingual writer, and has published novels in both French and Arabic. His work has been translated into a dozen languages. Zaoui's French novel ''Festin de Mensonges'' has been translated into English by Frank Wynne. In 2012, his Arabic novel ''The Goatherd'' was nominated for the Arabic Booker Prize. He has also translated french novels by

Mohamed Dib Mohammed Dib ( ar, محمد ديب; 21 July 1920 – 2 May 2003) was an Algerian author. He wrote over 30 novels, as well as numerous short stories, poems, and children's literature in the French language. He is probably Algeria's most prolific ...

and Yasmina Khadra into arabic.

Selected works

Arabic novels

* ''The Neighing of the Body'' (1985) * ''The Tremor'' (1999) * ''Satan's Road'' (2009) * ''The Goatherd'' (2012) (nominated for the Arabic Booker Prize)

French novels

* ''La Soumission'' (1998) * ''Haras de Femmes'' (2001) * ''Festin de Mensonges'' (2007) (English translation: ''Body of Lies'' by Frank Wynne] * ''La Chambre de la Vierge Impure'' (2009) * ''Le miel de la sieste'' (2014) * ''L'enfant de l'oeuf'' (2017)

References

Algerian novelists 1956 births Living people University of Oran alumni 21st-century Algerian people {{Algeria-writer-stub