David B. is the Eisner-nominated author of Epileptic, an autobiographical story widely considered a masterpiece of the graphic-novel medium. A founding member of the revolutionary French independent publisher L¿Association, he is regarded as a giant among bandes dessinées artists. His many prizes include the Prix de Cheverny, the Ignatz Award, and the Best Comic Book prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. His books include the graphic novels Black Paths and Incidents in the Night.

Jean-Pierre Filiu, a historian and an arabist, is professor at Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). Following an extensive career in the Middle East, first with NGOs, then as a diplomat, he has held visiting professorships both at Columbia University, New York, and Georgetown University, Washington, DC. His Apocalypse in Islam (University of California Press, 2011) was awarded the main prize by the French History Convention. His works and articles about contemporary Islam have been published in a dozen languages. His most recent book is Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising (Hurst, London, and Oxford University Press, New York).