''Tales of Joujouka'' is a book by the Moroccan painter

Mohamed Hamri Mohamed Hamri (August 27, 1932 – August 29, 2000), commonly known as Hamri, was a Moroccan painter and author. Self-described as "The painter of Morocco," Hamri was one of the few Moroccans to participate in the Tangier Beat scene. He was bo ...

(1932–2000) containing eight stories featuring the legends, folklore and Sufi origins myths and rituals of the

Master Musicians of Joujouka The Master Musicians of Joujouka are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective was first documented by Western journalists in the early 1950s, and was b ...

. These are the stories and legends of Hamri's native village of Joujouka or

Jajouka Jajouka, Jahejouka or Zahjoukah (In Tifinagh: ⵣⴰⵀⵊⵓⴽⴰ) (جوجوكة or جهجوكة) is a village in the Ahl-Srif mountains in the southern end of the Rif Mountains, Morocco. The mountains are named after the Ahl-Srif tribe who po ...

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 ...

, famous for its connections with the Beat Generation and

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

founder of the Rolling Stones.

The Book

''Tales of Joujouka'' was first published in 1975 by the Capra Press in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

. The editor was Edouard Roditi.Hamri, Mohamed, ''Tales of Joujouka''. Santa Barbara:Capra Press, 1975 It was the last of thirty five chapbooks in a series which also included Anaïs Nin,

Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver Jr. (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. He contributed to the revitalization of the American short story during the 1980s. Early life Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mil ...

Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial p ...

and

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

. (The chapbook series actually had 41 titles in the series.) Hamri was the only Moroccan published in the series. It is a collection of the tales and legends of the village of

and its musicians, the

. The book includes "The Legend of Boujeloud" which relates the origin myth for the Master Musicians of Joujouka and their association with the deity Pan. The story "The Cultivator with Lions and Healer of Crazy Minds" is an account of Sidi Ahmed Scheich's first encounter with the musicians ancestors c. 800 AD. He is the Sufi saint who founded the village. Translation from the original

Maghrebi Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Alge ...

is by Blanca Nyland.

Limited Edition

The original edition was printed with a card cover. Fifty numbered and signed hardbound copies were also published in 1975.

New Edition

In 2003 The Black Eagle Press 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 ...

produced a new edition of the book which contained an introduction and three extra tales.Hamri, Mohamed, ''Tales of Joujouka''. Tangier: Black Eagle Press, 2003

ISBN

*0-88496-043-9 hbk. *0-88496-044-7 pbk. *0-9523838-8-8 (2003 edition)

References

{{Refend Moroccan literature Moroccan music

The Book

Limited Edition

New Edition

ISBN

See also

References