Jakob Arjouni is the author of four Kayankaya novels, published by No Exit, Happy Birthday Turk, More Beer, One Man, One Murder and his new work, Kismet, due for publication in September 2003. He divides his time between Germany and the South West of France, close to Narbonne.

Jakob Arjouni does not have Turkish ancestry, despite the fact that his central character Kemal Kayankaya is an orphaned Turk raised by German foster parents, with all the 'outsider' elements which that implies.

His novel, Magic Hoffman, was shortlisted for the IMPAC Award, and in 1992 Happy Birthday, Turk was made into a highly successful film of the same name, by German director Doris Doerrie. Arjouni himself had reservations about the film but it was a big hit in his native Germany.