Jakob Arjouni was born in Frankfurt in 1964. He has written novels, plays, screenplays, and the mysteries series Happy Birthday, Turk!, One Man, One Murder, and Kismet. His other publications include his urban novel Magic Hoffmann, which was shortlisted for the IMPAC Award, and the story collections Ein Freund and Idiots: Five Fairy Tales and Other Stories, which will be published in the United States in a translation by Anthea Bell. In 1992, Arjouni received the German Thriller Prize for One Man, One Murder. Arjouni divides his time between Germany and France.