Habib Selmi

Habib Selmi (Tunisian Arabic: حبيب السالمي) (born 1951) is a Tunisian novelist and short story writer. He was born in Al-Ala near the historic city of Kairouan. To date, he has published eight novels and two short story collections. His books include:
Jabal al-'Anz (Goat Mountain), 1988
Surat Badawi Mayyit (Portrait of a Dead Bedouin), 1990
Matahat al-Raml (Sand Labyrinth), 1994
Hufar Dafi'a (Warm Pits), 1999
Ushaq Bayya (Bayya's Lovers), 2002
Asrar Abdallah (Abdallah’s Secrets), 2006
Rawaïh Marie-Claire (The Scents of Marie-Claire), 2008
Selmi's novel The Scents of Marie-Claire was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize. His work has been translated into a number of languages, including English and French, and has featured in multiple issues of Banipal magazine.
Selmi has lived in Paris since 1985 where he teaches Arabic literature.