The complete short stories of acclaimed Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, translated into English and collected in one volume for the first time &nbsp; Mohamed Choukri's vivid stories invite the reader to wander the streets of Tangier, the ancient coastal crossroads between Europe and Africa, and to meet its denizens at markets, beaches, cafés, and brothels. Choukri's Tangier is a place where newborns are for sale, swindlers hawk the Prophet's shoes, and boys collect trash to sell for food. &nbsp; Choukri says that "writing is a protest, not a parade." And in these thirty-one stories he privileges the voices of those ignored by society: the abused, the abandoned, the addicted. The tales are at once vibrant local vignettes and profound reflections on the lives, sufferings, and hopes of Choukri's fellow Tangerines.

Tales of Tangier: The Complete Short Stories of Mohamed Choukri (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

Literature & Fiction

Choukri, Mohamed

Short Stories & Anthologies

Yale University Press

Having taken the momentous decision to learn to read and write when in his early twenties, Choukri joins a children's class at the local state school in Tangier. Here he leads a life of desperate poverty. In order to survive, he does a bit of everything; when not at school, he hangs out in cafés, drinking and smoking kif (it's cheaper than cigarettes!). On the days that he has a few coins in his pocket, he can afford a primitive doss house; otherwise he sleeps in mosques or on the street. A rich kaleidoscope of lowlife characters befriends him: the café habitués (some of whom are intellectuals and educated men) help him with his Arabic and widen his horizons; the local prostitutes take him home and provide a modicum of shelter and human warmth. On two occasions, he ends up in a mental hospital--the second time because he tries to kill a man who attempts to rape him. Another traumatic event is the long-drawn-out death of his mother, at which time Choukri returns to his village. Throughout his trials and vicissitudes, two things shine through: Choukri's determination to use literacy to rise above the cruel hand fate has dealt him; and his compassion for the normally despised human beings who share this life of 'the lowest of the low'.

Streetwise

Saqi Books

Choukri's classic and moving work, which has already been translated into more than ten languages,speaks for an entire generation of North Africans. Born in the Rif, Choukri moved with his family to Tangier at a time of great famine. His childhood was spent in abject poverty; eight of his brothers and sisters died of malnutrition or neglect. During his adolescence, described here with its attendant erotic escapades, Choukri worked for a time as servant to a French family. He then returned to Tangier, where he experienced the violence of the 1952 independence riots. At the age of 20, and still illiterate, he took the decision to learn to read and write classical Arabic - a decision, which transformed his life. After mastering the language, he became a teacher and writer, finally being awarded the chair of Arabic Literature at Ibn Batuta College in Tangier.

For Bread Alone: An Autobiography OUT OF PRINT

History & Criticism

Al Saqi

Jean Genet in Tangier

Ecco Pr

Jean Genet In Tangier

Biographies & Memoirs

Travelers & Explorers

Ecco Press

Tennessee Williams in Tangier

1st ed., limited to 1300 copies, this being #153 of 200 copies signed by Bowles and Choukri. 12mo. Illustrated wraps. Fine in a Fine, plain acetate d/j.

CADMUS EDITIONS

Many of these authors are major literary figures in their own countries and the Arab world, who have broken with taboos and censorship, and established standards of innovation that have encouraged younger generations of authors. Pain, hardship, heartache, humour, identity, joy, loss and strategies for survival are universal themes and all are represented here, writes Peter Clark, who edited and introduces the stories, and is one of the thirteen translators of the volume.

Sardines and Oranges: Short Stories from North Africa

Salih, Tayeb

Ez-Eldin BA, Mansoura

Genre Fiction

Banipal Books

The first English translation of one of the novels that helped change modern Arab literature Mohamed Choukri, one of the most important writers of modern Moroccan literature, grew up in extreme poverty in Tangier and was illiterate until the age of twenty. After learning to read, he realized that "writing could also be a way to expose, to protest against those who have stolen my childhood, my teenage-hood and a piece of my youthfulness." His vivid portrayals of marginalized people, which had been considered taboo, led to the censorship of his work and a cultural backlash in the Middle East. In Faces, the third book in his trilogy of fictionalized autobiographical works, he describes gritty events, extreme poverty, prostitution, violence, sexual revelry, deprivation, and abuse. It is through his storytelling that Choukri reflects on human nature, love, and kindness-emphasizing the need for community and collaboration. Faces humanizes those undergoing poverty and places the blame for the violence they encounter squarely on colonial forces and the resulting postcolonial government, while opening literary traditions to a new style of writing. Choukri's friendships with Tennessee Williams, Paul Bowles, Jean Genet, and other writers brought him attention in his lifetime. But Faces--his last novel, which was originally published in Arabic in 2000--has remained untranslated until now. In English for the first time, Jonas Elbousty's translation allows Choukri's work to reach wider international discussions of contemporary Arab literature.

Faces

Georgetown University Press

“A true story of human desperation, shattering in its impact.”—Tennessee Williams
Driven by famine from their home in the Rif, Mohamed’s family walks to Tangiers in search of a better life. But his father is unable to find work and grows violent. Mohamed learns how to charm and steal. During a short spell in a filthy Moroccan jail, a fellow inmate kindles his life-altering love of poetry.
The distinguished writer Paul Bowles, perhaps best known for his novel The Sheltering Sky, collaborated closely with Mohamed Choukri on the translation of For Bread Alone, and penned the introduction.

For Bread Alone

Arts & Literature

Telegram Books

“As I read Choukri’s notes, I saw and heard Jean Genet as clearly as if I had been watching a film of him. To achieve such precision simply by reporting what happened and what was said, one must have a rare clarity of vision.”—From William Burroughs’ introduction to Jean Genet in TangierTangier, “the most extraordinary and mysterious city in the world,” according to Mohamed Choukri, was a haven for many Western writers in the early twentieth century. Paul Bowles, Jean Genet, and Tennessee Williams all spent time there, and all were befriended by Choukri.Collected here together for the first time in English are Choukri’s delightful recollections of these encounters, offering a truly fresh insight into the lives of these cult figures.The sights and sounds of 1970s Tangier are brought vividly alive, as are the larger-than-life characters of these extraordinary men, through ordinary everyday events.‘What Yacoubi would really like is a complete harem,’ I said.We laughed.‘One handsome boy is enough for me,’ said Tennessee. ‘A boy who just happens by.’‘So you don’t want a harem?’ I said.‘No. Harems are always very tiring. They’re no fun.’Mohamed Choukri (1935–2003) is one of North Africa’s most controversial and widely read authors. After a childhood of poverty and petty crime, Choukri learned to read and write at the age of twenty. He then became a teacher and writer, finally being awarded the chair of Arabic literature at Ibn Batuta College in Tangier. His works include For Bread Alone and Streetwise (both available from Telegram).

In Tangier

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