Tayeb Salih

Born in Sudan at a time when it was still ruled jointly by the British and the Egyptians under the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, Tayeb Salih grew up in a small rural community made up mostly of farmers in northern Sudan. He distinguished himself at school and went on to pursue university studies in London. It was in England, where he settled, that he began publishing work in Arabic. Season of Migration to the North, published in 1966, became a huge success, and was followed by the collection of stories The Wedding of Zein in 1967, as well as the two volumes that make up the novel Bandarshah, published in 1971 and 1976, respectively. In addition to his writing, Salih led a parallel career in broadcasting, working for the BBC’s Arabic service. In England, he met and married a Scottish woman and had three daughters. While he visited Sudan regularly, he never returned to live there, and died in his adopted home of England in 2009.