Faïza Guène was born in Bobigny near Paris in 1985. The daughter of Algerian immigrants, she grew up in the Parisian suburb of Courtillières (Pantin). Already as a teen she began to write and tried her hand at composition at various workshops. A tutor recognized the talent of the then thirteen-year-old and encouraged her to write more. In 2004 Guène made a masterly début with »Kiffe kiffe demain« (Eng. »Kiffe kiffe tomorrow«, 2006), and is today among the new young voices of French literature. The novel, which received attention worldwide, has sold more than 100,000 copies in France and has been translated into over twenty languages. Alongside her literary output Faïza Guène has made various short films, including the documentary »Mémoires du 17 octobre 1961« (2002), which focuses on the massacre of peaceful Algerian protestors by Parisian policemen. When she is not on book tour around the world, Faïza Guène devotes her time to writing her next novel and carrying out her audiovisual projects.
Faïza Guène was born in Bobigny near Paris in 1985. The daughter of Algerian immigrants, she grew up in the Parisian suburb of Courtillières (Pantin). Already as a teen she began to write and tried her hand at composition at various workshops. A tutor recognized the talent of the then thirteen-year-old and encouraged her to write more. In 2004 Guène made a masterly début with »Kiffe kiffe demain« (Eng. »Kiffe kiffe tomorrow«, 2006), and is today among the new young voices of French literature. The novel, which received attention worldwide, has sold more than 100,000 copies in France and has been translated into over twenty languages. Alongside her literary output Faïza Guène has made various short films, including the documentary »Mémoires du 17 octobre 1961« (2002), which focuses on the massacre of peaceful Algerian protestors by Parisian policemen. When she is not on book tour around the world, Faïza Guène devotes her time to writing her next novel and carrying out her audiovisual projects.
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Shortlisted author Ali Smith discusses the creative inspirations behind Gliff and reflects on the significance of libraries throughout her reading and writing life in our latest Q&A.
