Elias Khoury, born in Beirut, is the author of sixteen novels, four volumes of literary criticism, and three plays. He was awarded the Palestine Prize for Gate of the Sun, which was named Best Book of the Year by Le Monde Diplomatique, The Christian Science Monitor, and The San Francisco Chronicle, and a Notable Book by The New York Times. Khoury’s Yalo, White Masks, Little Mountain, The Journey of Little Gandhi, and City Gates are also available in English. As Though She Were Sleeping received France’s inaugural Arabic Novel Prize.

Humphrey Davies was a translator of Arabic fiction, historical and classical texts. Born in England, he was based in Cairo from the 1990’s to 2021. His translations include Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq’s Leg Over Leg,  Alaa Al-Aswany's The Yacoubian Building, Bahaa Taher’s Sunset Oasis, and Naguib Mafouz’s Middaq Alley. He received the Banipal Prize twice.