Born in 1949, Boualem Sansal lives in Boumerdès, near Algiers. His first novel Le Serment des barbares [The Barbarians’ Sermon] (1999) won the Prix du Premier Roman. In 2003 he was dismissed from his government job for criticising the Algerian government. Today he is considered not only one of Algeria’s most important writers, but a literary figure of international stature. An Unfinished Business won the Grand Prix RTL LIRE 2008.