'Khoury [is] arguably the finest living Arab novelist' World Literature Today. 'Khoury is the sort of novelist whose name is inseparable from a city ... The beautiful, resilient city of Beirut belongs to Khoury' Laila Lalami. 'We need the voice of Elias Khoury - detailed, exquisite, humane - more than ever. Read him. Without fail, read him' Naomi Shihab Nye.

Elias Khoury is the author of novels, volumes of literary criticism and plays. He was editor-in-chief of the cultural supplement of Beirut's daily newspaper, An-Nahar, and is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. In 2012 he was awarded the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for his contribution to the promotion of Arabic culture. Maia Tabet, born in Lebanon, is a literary translator and a professional cook. She translated Khoury's first novel to be published in English, Little Mountain, and has translated a number of prose texts that have appeared in literary magazines.