This Senegalese author was born on December 16, 1946, in Bargny (near Dakar). The son of a small merchant in a town of Senegal, he began his studies in the local Koran school until his father transferred him and his brother to a French school.

He studied nursing and in 1966, obtained his first job working in this field until his retirement.

In 1968, he married Mariem, a governess with whom he had 7 children, and they currently live in Rufisque, a small fishing village 20 kilometres from Dakar.

His first novel, La Vie en spirale (Life in a Spiral) took eight years to be published in Senegal. The book, which talks about the consumption and trafficking of "yamba" (local name for cannabis) by unemployed youth as well as the police and white people of Senegal, made a lot of noise. It caught the attention of Gallimard, a Parisian editorial, which published the novel that has since then been studied in Senegalese schools.

His latest work, the novel Mbëke mi, addresses the emigration of Senegalese youth in small boats who try to reach the Canary Islands and from there continue their journey to Europe.

Ndione states that he first creates his novels in wolof and then translates them to French. His story titled Ramata has been translated to Spanish.

His works include (according to the dates when they were published in France):

• 1998 - La Vie en spirale, Gallimard

• 2000 - Ramata, Gallimard

• 2008 - Mbëkë mi, Gallimard

For more information:

• Article in Público.es

• His works in Lecturalia