Naima el Bezaz was born in Morocco in 1974, and at the age of four moved to the Netherlands with her parents. She published her debut novel De Weg naar het Noorden (The Road North) in 1995. Since then she has published four more bestselling novels, most recently Vinexvrowen (New Suburban Housewives). Her work has generated much controversy, as it often deals with the issues of sex, Islam and multiculturalism. In her own words, ‘taboos are there to be broken’.