(Morocco, 1975) is an award-winning writer, poet, playwright and curator. His 1996 debut, Bruiloft aan zee (Wedding By the Sea), was an immediate success. His second novel, De langverwachte (The Long-awaited) won him the prestigious 2003 Libris Literature Award. Benali's subjects vary, but sports and the migrant who never really feels at home are recurring themes. He has written novels about his great passion of running, about his travels, and about migrants' cultural identity (Bad Boy). His work has been published internationally. Recent books include the novel Paradijsvogel boven Hoge Woerd (Bird of Paradise over Hoge Woerd, 2022) and Het andere verhaal (The Other Story, 2022), an essay about his research into 75 years of modern Moroccan art.

(Egypt, 1978) won the first prize in the Emerging Writers category of the Sawiris Cultural Award for his debut novel Kawkab Anbar (Amber Planet, 2010). In 2012 he published the novel Year of the Dragon. His latest nove Otared (2015) is situated in near-future Cairo. The titular character - a police officer and sniper - embarks on a new career when he joins the underground resistance after his country is invaded by foreign mercenaries. The New York Times wrote: 'More than just a portrait of a bleak future, this novel is of course a trenchant critique of modern Egypt.'