Abdellatif Laâbi is a Moroccan poet, journalist, novelist, playwright, translator and political activist, born in 1942 in

Fes Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. Laâbi, then teaching French, founded with other poets the artistic journal Souffles, an important literary review in 1966. It was considered as a meeting point of some poets who felt the emergency of a poetic stand and revival, but which, very quickly, crystallized all Moroccan creative energies: painters, film-makers, men of theatre, researchers and thinkers. It was banned in 1972, but throughout its short life, it opened up to cultures from other countries of the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

and those of the

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

. Abdellatif Laâbi was imprisoned, tortured and sentenced to ten years in prison for "crimes of opinion" (for his political beliefs and his writings) and served a sentence from 1972–1980. He was, in 1985, forced into exile in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The political beliefs that were judged criminal are reflected in the following comment, for example: "Everything which the Arab reality offers that is generous, open and creative is crushed by regimes whose only anxiety is to perpetuate their own power and self-serving interest. And what is often worse is to see that the West remains insensitive to the daily tragedy while at the same time accommodating, not to say supporting, the ruling classes who strangle the free will and aspirations of their people."

Awards and honors

* In 1985, Laabi was made Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres * In 1999, he won the Fonlon-Nichols Award * In 2006, he received the Alain Bosquet Prize, for all of his work * In 2008, Laabi won the Naim Frashëri Prize * In 2008, he was awarded the Robert Ganzo Prize of Poetry * In 2009, he received the

Prix Goncourt de la Poésie The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

* In 2011, he won the Benjamin Fondane International Prize for Francophone Literature * In 2011, he was awarded Academie française’s Grand prix de la francophonie * In 2015, he won the Prix Ecritures & Spiritualités * In 2020, he was awarded the Mahmoud Darwish Award for Culture and Creativity * In 2021, Laabi won the Roger Kowalski Award for Poetry, for his collection, ''Presque riens''

Works

Each year for a first edition links to its corresponding "

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

in poetry" article for poetry or "

in literature" article for other works:

Poetry

* 1980: ''Le Règne de barbarie''. Seuil, Paris (épuisé) * 1980: ''Histoire des sept crucifiés de l'espoir''. La Table rase, Paris *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

: ''Sous le bâillon le poème''.

L'Harmattan Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in ...

, Paris *

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

: ''Discours sur la colline arabe''. L'Harmattan, Paris *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

: ''L'Écorché vif''. L'Harmattan, Paris *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

: ''Tous les déchirements''. Messidor, Paris (épuisé) * 1992: ''Le soleil se meurt''. La Différence, Paris *

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

: ''L'Étreinte du monde''. © La Différence et © Abdellatif Laâbi, Paris * 1996: ''Le Spleen de Casablanca''. La Différence, Paris *

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

: ''Poèmes périssables'', La Différence, coll. Clepsydre, Paris (épuisé) * 2003: ''L'automne promet'', La Différence, coll. Clepsydre, Paris * 2003: ''Les Fruits du corps'', La Différence, coll. Clepsydre, Paris * 2005: ''Écris la vie'', La Différence, coll. Clepsydre, Paris, Prix Alain Bosquet 2006 * 2003: ''Œuvre poétique'', La Différence, coll. Œuvre complète, Paris * 2007: ''Mon cher double'', La Différence, coll. Clepsydre, Paris *

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

: ''Tribulations d'un rêveur attitré'', coll. La Clepsydre, La Différence, Paris * 2010: ''Oeuvre poétique II'', La Différence *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

: ''Le Principe d'incertitude'', La Différence *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

: ''L'Espoir à l'arraché'', Le Castor astral *

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

: ''Presque riens'', Le Castor astral *

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

: ''La poésie est invincible,'' Le Castor astral

Novels

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

: ''L'Œil et la Nuit'', Casablanca, Atlantes, 1969 ; SMER, Rabat, 1982; La Différence, coll. "Minos", Paris, 2003 * 1982: ''Le Chemin des ordalies''. Denoël, Paris; La Différence, coll. "Minos", Paris, 2003 *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

: ''Les Rides du lion''. Messidor, Paris (épuisé); La Différence, coll. "Minos", Paris, 2007

Drama

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

: ''Le Baptême chacaliste'',

, Paris *

: ''Exercices de tolérance'', La Différence, Paris *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

: ''Le Juge de l'ombre'', La Différence, Paris *

: ''Rimbaud et Shéréazade'', La Différence, Paris

Children's books

: ''Saïda et les voleurs de soleil'' ; bilingue français-arabe ; images de Charles Barat. Messidor/La Farandole, Paris, (épuisé) *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

: ''L'Orange bleue'' ; illustrations de Laura Rosano. Seuil Jeunesse, Paris

Other works

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

: ''Chroniques de la citadelle d'exil'' ; lettres de prison (1972–1980), Denoël, Paris; La Différence, Paris, 2005. *

: ''La Brûlure des interrogations'' ; entretiens-essais (réalisés par J. Alessandra).

, Paris *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

: ''Un continent humain'' ; entretiens, textes inédits. Paroles d'aube, Vénissieux * 2005: ''D'humus et de lave ; poème manuscrit ; gravures de Bouchaïb Maoual ; édition limitée à 12 exemplaires ; Al Manar

Translations from Arabic

* 1982: ''Rires de l' arbre à palabre'' (poèmes), d' Abdallah Zrika.

, Paris *

: ''Rien qu'une autre année'' (poèmes), de Mahmoud Darwich. Unesco/ Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1983. *

: ''Soleil en instance'' (roman), de Hanna Mina. Unesco/Éditions Silex, Paris, 1986. *

: ''Autobiographie du voleur de feu'' (poèmes), d'

Abd al-Wahhab Al-Bayati Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati (December 19, 1926 – August 3, 1999) was an Iraqi Arab poet. He was a pioneer in his field and defied conventional forms of poetry that had been common for centuries. Biography He was born in Baghdad, near the shrine o ...

. Unesco/

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. H ...

, Paris, 1987. *

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

: ''Je t'aime au gré de la mort'' (poèmes), de Samih al-Qâsim. Unesco/Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1988. *

: ''Plus rares sont les roses'' (poèmes), de Mahmoud Darwich. Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1989. *

: ''La Poésie palestinienne contemporaine'' (anthologie). Éditions Messidor, Paris, 1990. *

: ''L'Espace du Noûn'' (poèmes), de Hassan Hamdane. En collaboration avec Leïla Khatib. Éditions Messidor, Paris *

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

: ''Les Oiseaux du retour''. Contes de Palestine, bilingues. En collaboration avec Jocelyne Laâbi. Éditions Messidor/La Farandole, Paris * 1992: ''La Joie n'est pas mon métier'' (poèmes), de Mohammed Al-Maghout. Éditions de la Différence, coll. Orphée, Paris *

: ''Retour à Haïfa'' (nouvelles), de

Ghassan Kanafani Ghassan Kanafani ( ar, غسان كنفاني, 8 April 1936 – 8 July 1972) was a Palestinian author and a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). On 8 July 1972 ...

. En collaboration avec Jocelyne Laâbi. Actes-Sud, Paris

Adaptations (drama) and other publications

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

: ''Va ma terre, quelle belle idée''. Pièce tirée du ''Chemin des ordalies'', roman. Compagnie des Quatre Chemins, dirigée par Catherine de Seynes. Paris *

: ''Histoire des sept crucifiés de l'espoir''. Atelier-théâtre du Septentrion, dirigé par Robert Condamin et Jacqueline Scalabrini. Antibes *

: ''Chroniques de la citadelle d'exil''. Théâtre Expression 7, Guy Lavigerie. Limoges, 1984. *

: ''Saïda et les voleurs de soleil''. Atelier-théâtre du Septentrion. Antibes, 1987. *

: ''Le Règne de barbarie''. Compagnie du Mentir-Vrai, dirigée par Omar Tary.

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...

: ''Journal du dernier homme''. Tiré des ''Rides du lion'', roman. Lecture par Edwine Moatti et Denis Manuel. Paris * 1992: ''Le Retour de Saïda''. Atelier-théâtre du Septentrion. Antibes, 1992. *

: ''Le Soleil se meurt''. Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui. Casablanca

Autobiography

* 2004: ''Le fond de la Jarre'' (translated in Spanish: ''Fez es un espejo'', Madrid, ediciones del oriente y del mediterráneo *

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

: ''La Fuite vers Samarkand'', Le Castor astral

Works available in English

* 2003: ''The World's Embrace: Selected Poems''. City Lights, 2003. Translated by V. Reinking, A. George, E. Makward. * 2009: ''Fragments of a Forgotten Genesis''. Leafe Press, 2009. Translated by Gordon & Nancy Hadfield. *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

: ''The Rule of Barbarism''. Pirogue Poets series, 2012. Translated by André Naffis-Sahely *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

: ''The Bottom of the Jar''. Archipelago Books, 2013. Translated by André Naffis-Sahely *

: ''Poems''. Poetry Translation Centre, 2013. Translated by André Naffis-Sahely *

: ''Selected Poems of Abdellatif Laâbi''. Carcanet Press, 2016. Translated by André Naffis-Sahely *

: ''In Praise of Defeat''. Archipelago Books, 2016. Translated by

Donald Nicholson-Smith Donald Nicholson-Smith is a translator and freelance editor, interested in literature, art, psychoanalysis, social criticism, theory, history, crime fiction, and cinema.

(shortlisted for the 2017

Griffin Poetry Prize The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...

) *

: ''The Uncertainty Principle''. Lithic Press, 2021. Translated by Annie Jamison

Footnotes

# Jeune Afrique magazine, September 5, 1990, cited by Adel Darwish and Gregory Alexander in "Unholy Babylon, The Secret History of Saddam's War" (Victor Gollenz Ltd London 1991): p. 71

External links

Pierre Joris on Laabi winning the Prix Goncourt

Abdellatif Laabi's website
This website contains links to all issues of artistic journal Anfas/Souffles.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laabi, Abdellatif 1942 births French-language poets Living people Moroccan autobiographers Moroccan dramatists and playwrights Moroccan male writers Male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Moroccan poets Prix Goncourt de la Poésie winners People from Fez, Morocco Moroccan torture victims Moroccan translators 21st-century Moroccan poets Moroccan male poets Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Awards and honors

Works

Poetry

Novels

Drama

Children's books

Other works

Translations from Arabic

Adaptations (drama) and other publications

Autobiography

Works available in English

Footnotes

Further reading

External links