Tahar Ben Jelloun

Tahar Ben Jelloun, born December 1, 1944, in Fès, Morocco, is a novelist, poet, and essayist known for his expressive writings on Moroccan culture, immigration, human rights, and identity. He gained international acclaim with his novel The Sand Child (1985) and won the prestigious Prix Goncourt for its sequel The Sacred Night (1987), the first for an African-born writer. After studying philosophy in Rabat and moving to France, he earned a doctorate in social psychology and became a prominent voice on North African experiences in Europe, with works translated into over 40 languages.Encyclopaedia