Abdulrazak Gurnah was born in 1948 in Zanzibar, Tanzania. He is the author of the highly acclaimed novels Memory of Departure, Pilgrims Way, Dottie, Paradise, which was shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize, Admiring Silence, By The Sea, Desertion, The Last Gift, and Gravel Heart. His latest book, Afterlives is published by Bloomsbury. Abdulrazak Gurnah teaches English Literature at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

In 2021, Abdulrazak Gurnah received the Nobel Prize in literature.