The literary career of Mathias Enard is closely linked to his interest in the Arab and Persian cultures, his specialist subject when he studied at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations in France, his native country. He has lived in Paris, the Middle East, Spain and Berlin, and has translated works from Persian and Lebanese Arabic. He has also promoted a range of cultural publications, such as the graphic publisher, Scrawitch, and the gallery of the same name in the 11th arrondissement of the French capital. All his novels have won awards in France or abroad, from the first, La perfection du tir, to the penultimate, Compass, which won the Prix Goncourt and which was dedicated to the Syrian people, devastated by war. Other titles by him include Street of Thieves; Tell Them of Battles, Kings and Elephants; and the last, Le banquet annuel de la confrérie des fossoyeurs. He is a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, a title awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.

Enard will talk to Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, a journalist and author of books such as Contar la música, Hotel Transición, Preludio, El encuentro and Papel, his latest.