He studied Persian and Arabic and spent long periods in the Middle East.
He has lived in Barcelona for about fifteen years, interrupted in 2013 by a writing residency in Berlin.
He won several awards for Zone, including the Prix du Livre Inter and the Prix Décembre, and won the Prix Goncourt/Le Choix de l’Orient, the Prix littéraire de la Porte Dorée, and the Prix du Roman-News for Rue des Voleurs (Street of Thieves).
He won the 2015 Prix Goncourt for Boussole (Compass).