Hussein El-Wad

Hussein el-Wad was a Tunisian academic, poet, critic and novelist. He was born in Moknine in northern Tunisia and studied for his doctorate at the University of Tunis. He was also a professor at King Saud University in Riyadh.
As a scholar of Arabic literature, Al-Wad's output included books on the works of Al Maarri, Al Mutanabbi, and Abu Tamam. He was a novelist too. His first novel Scents of the City won the Golden Comar Award in Tunisia, and his second novel His Excellency the Minister was shortlisted for the 2013 Arabic Booker Prize.