Author Mbarek Ould Beyrouk is a French -speaking Mauritanian writer born in 1957 in Atar . Writing under the name, Beyrouk, he is a journalist and author of three novels and a collection of short stories. In 2016 he received the Ahmadou-Kourouma prize for his novel The Drum of Tears as well as the Prix du roman métis des lycéens . Mbarek Ould Beyrouk studied law at the University of Rabat but then turned to journalism. After working for the official media, in 1988 he founded the country's first independent newspaper, Mauritanie Demain. He then became a member of the High Authority for the Press and Audiovisual, created in 2006. He was also appointed in 2016 adviser to the presidency of the republic by former Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz.

Translator Marjolijn de Jager earned a PhD. in Romance Languages and Literatures from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1975. She translates from both the Dutch and the French. Francophone African literature, the women's voices in particular, have a special place in her heart. Among her honors are an NEA grant, two NEH grants and, in 2011, the annually awarded ALA Distinguished Member Award received from the African Literature Association for scholarship, teaching, and translations of African Literature. She was the Grand Prize winner in 2021 of the French Voices Award from Excellence in translation for THE MEDITERRANEAN WALL by Louis-Philippe Dalembert. Her translation of Dalembert's novel, MILWAUKEE BLUES will be released by Schaffner Press in May 2023. For further information please see http: //mdejager.com