Born in El Jadida, Morocco in 1938, Abdelkébir Khatibi is the author of a diverse and complex oeuvre that creatively engages with the thought of European philosophers to address the specific challenges facing postcolonial subjects from the French-speaking world. After receiving a French education in his native country while it was still a protectorate of France, Khatibi pursued university studies in sociology at the Sorbonne in Paris. When questioned about this period, the writer affirmed that the years he spent in the French capital, from 1958 to 1964, were characterized by ‘great intellectual and political effervescence’ (1999: 74). Unlike other French-speaking Moroccan writers of his generation who took up permanent residence in France, Khatibi returned to his native land, where he taught at the University of Rabat. He published his doctoral dissertation on the Maghrebian novel, Le Roman maghrébin (1969), followed by the first of his fictional creations, an autobiographical novel titled La Mémoire tatouée (1971). In this early text, Khatibi delves into key themes that recur in his work, topics ranging from decolonization to the proper name, from religion to translation.

Khatibi's initial publications reveal leanings he held in common with other Moroccan writers of the period. He collaborated with prominent intellectuals such as Tahar Ben Jelloun, Driss Chraïbi and editor Abdellatif Laâbi on the foremost journal of Maghrebian culture, Souffles, a post-independence periodical in circulation from 1966 until 1972, when the Moroccan government shut it down.