Leïla Slimani, born on October 3, 1981, is a Franco-Moroccan writer, journalist, and French diplomat. She is notably known as the personal representative of French President Emmanuel Macron to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. In 2016, she achieved literary acclaim by winning the prestigious Prix Goncourt for her novel “Chanson douce.” Slimani’s family history is diverse and multicultural. Her maternal grandmother, Anne Dhobb, hails from Alsace, France, and married Lakhdar Dhobb, a Moroccan colonel in the French Colonial Army, during the liberation of France in 1944. Afterward, they settled in Morocco, where they raised their family, including Slimani’s mother, Béatrice-Najat Dhobb-Slimani, an otolaryngologist. Leïla Slimani was born in Rabat, Morocco, in a French-speaking and liberal household. In 1993, Slimani’s family faced a significant challenge when her father was falsely implicated in a financial scandal and removed from his role as president of the CIH Bank, though he was later cleared of any wrongdoing. At the age of 17, Slimani moved to Paris to pursue her studies in political science and media studies at Sciences Po and ESCP Europe. Initially considering a career in acting, she completed an acting course and even appeared in supporting roles in two films. In 2008, she married her husband, a Parisian banker, whom she had met in 2005. Slimani embarked on a career in journalism, joining the magazine Jeune Afrique in 2008. However, her life took a different turn after the birth of her son in 2011 and her arrest in Tunisia while covering the Arab Spring. Subsequently, she left her job to become a freelance journalist and focus on writing her debut novel. Although her initial novel manuscript was rejected by publishers, she persevered. In 2013, Slimani attended a writing workshop led by novelist and Gallimard editor Jean-Marie Laclavetine. Under his mentorship, she honed her writing skills and published her first novel, “Dans le jardin de l’ogre” (“Adèle” in English translation), in 2014 with Gallimard. The novel garnered critical acclaim in France and won the La Mamounia literary award in Morocco. Two years later, Slimani achieved immense success with her psychological thriller, “Chanson douce” (published as “Lullaby” in English), which not only won the prestigious Prix Goncourt but also propelled her to literary stardom in France and internationally. In 2017, she welcomed her second child, a daughter. Leïla Slimani holds both Moroccan and French citizenships due to her family heritage. In recognition of her contributions to literature and culture, she was named an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2017. In August 2022, she was appointed as the chair of judges for the International Booker Prize in 2023, further solidifying her status as a prominent figure in the literary world.
