Abdellah Taïa was born in Rabat , Morocco, in 1973. In a very modest big family.
He is the first Arab writer/filmmaker to publicly declare his homosexuality.
He is the author of nine novels written in French and translated into many languages, including "Salvation Army" (2006), "An Arab Melancholia" (2008), "Infidels" (2012), "Celui qui est digne d'être aimé" (2017), "La vie lente" (2019).
His novel “Le jour du Roi" was awarded the prestigious French Prix de Flore in 2010.
His novels were shortlisted many times for the prestigious French literary prizes: le Prix Goncourt, le Prix Renaudot and le Prix Médicis.
"Salvation Army", his first movie as a director, is adapted from his eponymous novel.
The film was selected for the Venice Film Festival 2013, TIFF 2013, New Directors 2014, Rotterdam Film Festival 2014, and won many international prizes, including The Grand Prix in Angers Film Festival 2014.
His novel "A country for dying", published in France in 2015, translated into English (USA) by Seven Stories Press in 2020, recently won the prestigious Pen America Literary Award 2021.
