Fayssal was born and raised in Algeria. He is a short story writer, novelist and academic. He holds a PhD in Critical and Creative Writing from Cardiff University. He was educated at Constantine 1 University (C1U) and graduated with an MA degree in Anglophone Literature. His novel, The Couscous Western, was the runner-up for the 2023 Graywolf African Fiction Prize. His short story, ‘The Last Shot of Ahmed Bey’s Cannon’ won the inaugural 2020 Toyin Falola Prize, and ‘Citizen Sarah’ was longlisted for the 2023 Afritondo Short Story Prize.
