Tahar Ben Jelloun ( ar, الطاهر بن جلون; born in Fes,

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 to A ...

, 1 December 1944) is a Moroccan writer. All of his work is written in French although his first language is Darija. He became known for his 1985 novel ''L’Enfant de Sable'' (''

The Sand Child ''The Sand Child'' (''l'Enfant de sable'') is a 1985 novel by Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun. First published in France, the novel's message expresses on multiple levels ideas about the post-colonial condition of Morocco while also emphasisin ...

''). He now lives in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and continues to write. He has been nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

Early life and career

Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Morocco in December 1944. As a child, he attended an Arabic-French bilingual elementary school. He then studied in the Lycée Regnault in

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

, until he was 18 years old. He studied philosophy at Mohammed V University in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...

. After he was a professor of philosophy in Morocco, he joined the group that ran the literary magazine '' Souffles'' in the mid-1960s, and he wrote many pieces for the cultural magazine. He later participated in the student rebellion against "the repressive and violent acts" of the Moroccan police. In 1966, he was forced into military service as his punishment. Five years later, his first poems were published in ''Hommes sous linceul de silence'' (1971). Shortly thereafter he moved to

, to study psychology, and in 1972 began writing for ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

''. He received his doctorate in social psychiatry in 1975. In January 2003, Ben Jelloun was nominated one of the two candidates for the 16th seat of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, the moderating body of the French language. Thieseat was last held by

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician o ...

. A month later, Ben Jelloun ended his campaign for the position. Today, Ben Jelloun is known for his literary career but also his appearances on French media outlets in which he speaks about the experiences of people of North African descent living in France.

Writing career

Ben Jelloun's 1985 novel ''L’Enfant de Sable'' (translated as ''

'') brought widespread attention. In 1987, he received the

Prix Goncourt 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 ...

for his novel ''La Nuit Sacrée'' (''The Sacred Night''), which made him the first Maghreb author to receive the award. His 1996 novel ''Les raisins de la galère'' (''The Fruits of Hard Work'') is a reflection on racism and traditional Muslim ideas about a women's place. The protagonist, Nadia (a young French women of Algerian origin), fights racism and exclusion to find her place in French society. In 1993, he received the journalistic award ''Golden Doves for Peace'', issued by the Italian Research Center Archivio Disarmo. Ben Jelloun was awarded the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

for ''Cette aveuglante absence de lumière'' ('' This Blinding Absence of Light'') in 2004. In 2005 he received the Prix Ulysse for his entire body of his work. Ben Jelloun has written several pedagogical works. His first is ''Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille'', translated as ''

Racism Explained to My Daughter ''Racism Explained to My Daughter'' (by Tahar Ben Jelloun, 1998, ) is a book in which the author, during a demonstration against an immigration law in Paris, answers his daughter's questions about the reasons for racism. The author's intent was ...

'' (1998). The text is an educative tool for children and is a main reason for him being regularly invited to speak at schools and universities. His text is addressed to his own daughter, but he is actually writing to all French children who are troubled by complex but important topics that surround racism. He argues that the primary solution to solve racism in France is through education, specifically education starting at a young age. He also makes the connection between colonialism and racism in a way that is understandable to his young audience by explaining that colonialism is a type of domination and power that aids racism to exist at the state level. He also has written ''L'Islam expliqué aux enfants'', translated as ''Islam Explained'' (2002), and ''Le Terrorisme expliqué à nos enfants'', translated as ''On Terrorism'' (2016) in response to the 1990s protests against French immigration laws, the

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

, respectively. In September 2006, Ben Jelloun was awarded a special prize for "peace and friendship between people" at the

Lazio between Europe and the Mediterranean Festival ''Lazio between Europe and the Mediterranean'' is a cultural festival held annually in Rome, Lazio, Italy. The first edition of the festival is held between September 21 and October 14, 2006. According to "Lazio Culture council" the purpose of the ...

. On 1 February 2008,

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

awarded him the Cross of Grand Officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. In Africa, his novel ''Le mariage de plaisir'' was shortlisted for the GPLA 2016 (Belles-Lettres Category).

Selected works

* ''Hommes sous linceul de silence'' (1971) * ''Harrouda'' (

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

) * ''Solitaire'' (

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

) * ''French Hospitality'' (1984) * ''

'' (

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 ...

) * ''The Sacred Night'' (

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, k ...

) * ''Silent Day in Tangiers'' (

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 Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

) * ''With Downcast Eyes'' (

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 Phil ...

) * ''State of Absence'' (1992) * ''Corruption'' (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

) * ''The Fruits of Hard Work'' (1996) * ''Praise of Friendship'' (1996) * ''L'Auberge des pauvres'' (1997) * ''

'' (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

) * '' This Blinding Absence of Light'' (

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 ...

) * ''Islam Explained'' (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

) * ''La Belle au bois dormant'' (2004) * ''The Last Friend'' (2006) * ''Yemma'' (2007) * ''Leaving Tangier'' (2009) * ''The Rising of the Ashes'' (2009) * ''A Palace in the Old Village'' (2010) * ''Par le feu'' (2011, Éditions Gallimard) published in English (2016,

Northwestern University Press Northwestern University Press is an American publishing house affiliated with Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It publishes 70 new titles each year in the areas of continental philosophy, poetry, Slavic and German literary criticism ...

) as ''By Fire: Writings on the Arab Spring'' * ''Le Bonheur conjugal'' (2012, Éditions Gallimard) published in English (2016, Melville House) as ''The Happy Marriage'' * ''L'Ablation'' (2014) * ''Le mariage du plaisir'' (2016, Éditions Gallimard), shortlisted for the

Grand Prix of Literary Associations The Grand Prix of Literary Associations (GPLA) were launched in 2013 in Cameroon, in partnership with Brasseries du Cameroun and sponsorship by Castel Group, Castel Beer. The GPLA are defined as bilingual English-and-French literary prizes, som ...

2016 (Belles-Lettres Category). To be published in English (June 2021,

) as ''The Pleasure Marriage''

References

External links

Rawafed: documentary interview Tahar Ben Jelloun "part one". Alarabiya.net

* ttp://www.taharbenjelloun.org/ Homepage of Tahar Ben Jelloun*
- "Dialogue interculturel et complaisance esthétique dans l'oeuvre de Tahar Ben Jelloun", Par Salah NATIJ, in website Ma'duba / Invitation à l'adab
Le Premier Amour est Toujours le Dernier moha le fou, moha le sage.
"Tahar Ben Jelloun's ''The Rising of the Ashes''"
''City Lights''.
"Tahar Ben Jelloun Art Review: The Roots of Times"
''Morocco Newsline'', 15 December 2009.

* Ruth Schneider, ttp://www.exberliner.com/articles/%E2%80%9Cdemocracy-is-not-like-an-aspirin-you-dissolve-in-water%E2%80%9D/index.html "'“Democracy is not like an aspirin you dissolve in water'"(interview), ''Exberliner Magazine'', 17 October 2011
"Tahar Ben Jelloun (France)"
Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin. *Nicoletta Pireddu
"A Moroccan Tale of an Outlandish Europe: Ben Jelloun's Departure for a Double Exile"
Research in African Literatures, 40 (3), Fall 2009: 16-36 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ben Jelloun, Tahar 1944 births Living people Exophonic writers People from Fez, Morocco Magic realism writers Moroccan novelists Moroccan male writers Male novelists Moroccan writers in French Prix Goncourt winners 20th-century novelists 21st-century novelists Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Joseph Kessel Prize recipients Mohammed V University alumni