Leïla Slimani draws on her own family history for her trilogy of novels Le pays des autres, comprising Mathilde (The Country of Others, part 1), Regardez-nous danser (Watch Us Dance, part 2) and the personal J'emporterai le feu (I'll Take the Fire, part 3, to be published in English Spring 2026).

Slimani read from her work. In the interview with Rachida Lamrabet, she talked about her family saga. Singer Nana Adjoa paid musical tribute to Slimani, incorporating themes such as physicality and the emancipation of women into her choice of songs.

The Country of Others starts off after WWII during Morocco’s struggle for independence with French-born Mathilde and her Moroccan husband finding themselves caught in the crossfire. Part 2 takes place during the 1960s: on the cusp of adulthood, two biracial siblings search for their place in a newly independent Morocco brimming with both possibility and peril. Part 3 takes writer Mia to Morocco to explore her family history.

Leïla Slimani is an internationally renowned French-Moroccan writer. She won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2016 for Lullaby (US title: The Perfect Nanny) and was the International Booker Prize jury president in 2023. In her work, Slimani writes about female sexuality and autonomy; she denounces the oppression of female sexuality and the double sexual morality towards women.

Rachida Lamrabet is a fiction and theatre author, lawyer and teacher. Her debut novel Vrouwland (Women's Country; 2007) tells about migrant youths dreaming of a better life. Her short story collection Een kind van God (A Child of God) was published in 2008, followed by the novel De man die niet begraven wilde worden (The Man Who Didn't Want to be Buried), awarded with the Ultima, the Flemish state prize for culture. In her writings, issues such as identity, religion, migration and the position of minorities play an important role. Her novel Vertel het iemand (Tell Somebody, 2018) deals with the life of a Berber boy and the deliberately concealed role played by Moroccan soldiers in the First World War.

Nana Adjoa is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She creates exciting, dreamy, soulful songs with electronic elements from trip hop and compact poetic lyrics. After years as a bass guitarist in the bands A Polaroid View and Sue the Night, and shows with singer Janne Schra, she decided to continue as a solo artist. This proved successful, as she performed in the US and in the Netherlands at Pinkpop, Best Kept Secret and Eurosonic, among others. De Volkskrant newspaper named her Pop Talent of the Year 2021.

Leïla Slimani about her family trilogy 'The Country of Others' was curated for Writers Unlimited Festival 2026 by Ilonka Reintjens.