Khaled Khalifa was born in 1964 near Aleppo, Syria. He studied law at Aleppo University and participated in the foundation of ALEPH magazine. A few months later, the magazine was closed down by Syrian censorship. Active in the arts scene in Damascus where he lives, Khalifa is a writer of screenplays for television and cinema as well as novels. His novel Death Is Hard Work was a Finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Literature.

(Photo credit: Yamam Al Shaar)