|
Moroccan Literature
Mohammed Choukri
(15 July 1935 – 15 November 2003)
"Mohammed Choukri, one of Morocco’s great contemporary writers, died November 2003 of cancer. He was 64 years old. As a child in Tangiers he scavenged for food in garbage bins, but on the day of his death his loss was felt deeply across the Arab world. He had become such a renowned figure that King Mohammed VI paid tribute to him, saying: 'The cultural scene of our country has lost one of its pioneers in the art of the novel.'
"Mohammed Choukri is known mainly for his debut novel For Bread Alone that was published first in English, translated by Paul Bowles, in 1973 after being banned by the Moroccan government. It was eventually published in Arabic in 1982. The book broke all taboos in the Arab world, being a stark autobiographical novel of a young street kid’s struggle to survive and get an education. At that time no other Arab author had written so openly and honestly about the outsiders of society, the prostitutes, homosexuals, the destitute, thieves and conmen. [...]
"Choukri was born into a poverty-stricken family in Beni Chiker village in the Rif mountains, during a devastating famine. The family were forced to move to Tangiers where, because of the violent abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Choukri left home when he was only 11 years old. In spite of his terrible circumstances, he was determined to learn to read and write, and eventually started school at the age of 20. [...]
"Moroccan poet Mohammed Bennis recalled that Choukri always greeted him with the words “I am your spiritual father”. He often told Bennis he feared dying at home, where he lived alone, because he would lie there forgotten. He was to live his last hours in the Military Hospital in Rabat."
Read Mohammed Choukri's Short Story:
Men Have All The Luck:
http://www.banipal.co.uk/selections/selection.php?workid=49
Source: www.banipal.co.uk
Posted at: 2008-05-01
| 
