Leila Slimani is the first Moroccan woman to win France's most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, which she won for Lullaby. A journalist and frequent commentator on women's and human rights, she is French president Emmanuel Macron's personal representative for the promotion of the French language and culture. Born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1981, she lives in Lisbon. Author photograph: Francesca Mantovani 2022 Editions Gallimard.
Slimani's The Scent of Flowers at Night is a revelation - I have never felt more seen by a book, nor have I been so gripped. In such elegant and readable prose, she captures the obsession and joys of writing, and the power of art and words -- Katy Hessel An utterly compelling exploration of memory, art-making and solitude: what it takes, what it costs, to be a daughter, a woman, who writes. I couldn't put it down. * Tanya Shadrick * An engaging meditation on literature, death, deracination and tourism -- Lucy Ellmann * Daily Telegraph * Mesmerising. I inhaled this writer's poetic meditation on time and the creative process -- Sheena Patel Heartwarming and sad...accessible and endearing...frank and honest...humorous and affirming * Buzz Listings *