Andrée Chedid is a poet, essayist, dramatist and novelist of Egypto-Lebanese origin. Born and educated in Cairo, where she received a degree in literature from the American University, she moved to Paris in 1946, and became a naturalized French citizen. She is the recipient of many literary awards, including the Prix Louise Labbé (poetry), 1969; Aigle d'or de la poesie, 1972; Grand prix de l'Academie Belge, 1974; Prix de l'afrique Méditeranéenne, 1974; Prix Mallarmé (poetry), 1976; and Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle, 1979.

"Much of this delicately composed, elegant novel is a gentle and simple story of a woman searching for herself in a world of callous, unimaginative male supremacy…. The writing, disclosing bitter, painful truths, is deceptively lyrical." (The Times) "This is a lyrical novel that portrays the life of an Egyptian woman who is forced to accept a loveless and humiliating marriage." (The Women's Review of Books) "Woman may be compared to a very deep body of water; one can never predict the power of the undertow."