El Maleh was born in
Safi, Morocco to a
Jewish Berber family. During his youth he joined the
Moroccan Communist Party. He moved to
Paris in 1965, working there as a journalist and a teacher of philosophy. He only began writing in 1980, at the age of 63, traveling back and forth between France and Morocco. He stated that, in spite of his long stay in France, he had devoted his entire literary life to Morocco. From 1999 until his death he lived in
Rabat. There is controversy about his political stance; however, nothing has ever been corroborated. He was buried, according to his wishes, in the Jewish cemetery in
Essaouira. He wrote in French. ==Works==