Ahlam Mosteghanemi is an Algerian poet and best-selling novelist, widely considered one of the most influential contemporary Arab authors. Her breakout 1993 novel, Memory in the Flesh, won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature and has sold millions of copies worldwide. The book explores Algeria’s struggle for independence and its post-revolutionary challenges. Mosteghanemi, who earned her PhD from the Sorbonne, was named the “Cultural Personality of the Year” at the Sharjah International Book Fair in 2024, acknowledging five decades of literary contributions. She has also been recognised by Forbes as one of the most successful and influential female Arab writers. In 2016, she was designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace.