Habib Selmi, born in 1951 in Kairouan, Tunisia, is a professor of Arabic literature in Paris and has published seven novels, which have been translated into French, German, and Italian. The Scents of Marie-Claire was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arab Fiction (the Arabic Booker) in 2009. Fadwa Al Qasem, with a B.A. in English literature, is a writer and jewelry designer and the creative director of Tabeer, a content and media services company based in Dubai.