Ibrahim al-Koni
Ibrahim al-Koni is a Libyan novelist
Born in the desert of the Tuareg, Libya, Ibrahim al-Koni did not learn to read or write until he was 12 years old. He studied comparative literature at the Gorky Institute in Moscow, and was a journalist in Russia and Poland.
He is the author of over 80 books, including novels, short stories and poems, and has been translated into more than 35 languages.
He was a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize 2015.
Background
Between 2005 - 2015, the Man Booker International Prize recognised one writer for their achievement in fiction.
Worth £60,000, the prize was awarded every two years to a living author who had published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.
The winner was chosen solely at the discretion of the judging panel and there were no submissions from publishers.
The Man Booker International Prize was different from the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction in that it highlighted one writer’s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. In focusing on overall literary excellence, the judges considered a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel.