Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Fez, Morocco, in 1944 and has lived in France since 1971. An internationally recognized novelist, poet, playwright, and essayist, Ben Jelloun has received numerous awards for his works, including the Prix Maghreb, the Prix des Hemispheres and the Legion of Honor. His books include The Blinding Absence of Light, The Sand Child and The Sacred Night, for which he won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1987. He is also a regular contributor to Le Monde.