Khalil Diallo

Khalil Diallo is a Senegalese novelist who was born in Mauritania in 1992. He has written two novels: On the Edge of Death (A l’orée du trépas) and The Odyssey of the Forgotten (L’Odyssée des oubliés).

Diallo describes himself as a socially conscious writer who tackles contemporary issues such as religious indoctrination, terrorism, illegal immigration, and war. He draws inspiration from writers like Roberto Bolaño, Cesare Pavese, and Albert Camus.

In 2019, Diallo’s first novel On the Edge of Death was published by L’Harmattan Sénégal and was a finalist for the Orange Book Prize in Africa, the Ahmadou Kourouma Prize, and the Ivory Prize. The book is dedicated to Malian novelist Yambo Ouologuem.

His second novel, The Odyssey of the Forgotten, which portrays the plight of migrants and the crises facing Africa in the 21st century, was published by L’Harmattan Senegal in 2020 and by éditions Emmanuelle Collas in France in 2021. It was a finalist for the Ahmadou-Kourouma Prize, the Mare Nostrum Prize, the Prix Ivoire, and the Jesus Paradise Prize, and won the 2021 Ahmed Baba Prize. In 2023, it was translated into German by Astrid Bührle-Gallet and published as Die Odyssee der Vergessenen by Orlanda Editions and selection for the German “Prix Première” 2023. The same year, the novel received the Prix Racine Senghor at the Festival International du Livre de Dakar.

Diallo’s writing is an essential contribution to contemporary Francophone literature. His works feature complex and compelling characters grappling with the nuances of the human condition, including suffering and despair, while still being inherently human.

Currently, Diallo is working on his third novel.