Background
He was born in First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Ala near the historic city of Kairouan.
He was born in First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Ala near the historic city of Kairouan.
To date, he has published eight novels and two short story collections. His books include:
Jabal al-"Anz (Goat Mountain), 1988
Surat Badawi Mayyit (Portrait of a Dead Bedouin), 1990
Matahat al-Raml (Sand Labyrinth), 1994
Hufar Dafi"a (Warm Pits), 1999
Ushaq Bayya (Bayya"s Lovers), 2002
Asrar Abdallah (Abdallah’s Secrets), 2006
Rawaïh Marie-Claire (The Scents of Marie-Claire), 2008
His work has been translated into a number of languages, including English and French, and has featured in multiple issues of Banipal magazine. Selmi has lived in Paris since 1985 where he teaches Arabic literature.