The Moroccan novel of French expression
In the aftermath of independence in the Maghreb, many Maghrebian writers writing in French, guilt-ridden by their use of the colonial language, found themselves faced with a dilemma: whether to continue or give up writing in the language of Molière. Some intellectuals even thought that French-language literature from the Maghreb would soon disappear. Novelists, like all French-speaking Moroccan writers, are at least bilingual: the language they write in serves above all to express the multi-dimensional aspect of their cultural and linguistic heritage. The vision of himself and the world that he translates into French passes through the filter of the languages he has learned. Linguistic plurality has not always been lived in harmony and serenity, given the unequal status of languages in Morocco: the conflict has historically translated into different attitudes on the part of the writer and, aesthetically, into different writing strategies.
French-speaking Moroccan writers, far from abandoning their Francophone pen, created a current of thought that did not reject the French cultural heritage, but considered it in terms of the national future. The magazine Souffles, founded in 1966, played a decisive role in this debate. It was in relation to culture that the action group behind the magazine (ARC: Association de recherche culturelle) posed the problem of language and literature in Morocco: French-speaking Moroccan literature was judged for its contribution to the national heritage; the choice of language per se was not considered a priority; the main issue was to define the ideological and literary options of a population long alienated and marginalized. Far from disappearing, Moroccan literature in French thus developed, finding itself ideologically legitimized. It has to be said that the main players, directly or indirectly, in the Souffles debate were the writers themselves: Abdellatif Laâbi, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Mourad Khireddine... This position gave French-language Moroccan literature a new linguistic and aesthetic direction, as writers sought to make their language more accessible to an imaginary world that drew on both national and Western heritage. They have therefore allowed themselves to be influenced by European literary models of thought and writing (symbolism, surrealism, the philosophy of Marx, Derrida...). However, some are attempting a linguistic "guerrilla war" (Khaïr-Eddine), while others are thinking about a "dialogical" language that can express the mother tongue in French (A. Khatibi). Despite the youth of this literature - some forty years old - the themes and aesthetics are varied.
Readers, both Western and North African, can feel uneasy about current French-language Moroccan literature: they are often led astray, not so much by the interwoven reference to bicultural elements as by the confusing use of language. Since Souffles' important reflections, there has been no in-depth theorization of Moroccan culture, particularly in its literary expression (especially in the French language). This is why these questions remain unanswered. Nevertheless, one partial - and individual - response deserves attention: that of Khatibi. It appears not only in his theoretical work, but also in his literary creation. But the writer's duty is to establish "the Maghreb as a horizon of thought" and work to build it up, at his own level, that of writing and thought. This is what Khatibi has been trying to do for at least a decade, rejecting the "wild thinking" of ethnocentrisms, both Western and Muslim, and exploring the "intersemiosis of the bi-language", the territory of salvation. For him, it's an illusion to write in French like a Frenchman or in Arabic like an Arab. It is therefore necessary to go beyond the antagonism between the Arabic language and the French language, in order to reflect on and create a new territory that offers the possibility of knowing and accepting one's being as it is historically constructed: only in this way can the writer achieve - relative - liberation from the fascism and racism of the single language (and thought). All French-speaking Maghrebi writers still face these questions today.
Since 1980, each of them has tried to find answers to these questions, based on the issues that preoccupy them. Moroccan novelists such as Driss Chraïbi and Tahar Ben Jelloun are more interested in questioning the national heritage, reactivating the novel in the light of traditional forms such as epic, tale and legend. Novelists of the new generation, that of the 1980s, make relatively different choices: Abdelhak Serhane's primary aim is to depict individual and social reality, based on news items and scenes from everyday life, but from a critical perspective. By introducing popular idioms (proverbs, sayings, swearwords), he aims to subvert dominant discourse and socio-political violence through parody, irony, pastiche and the translation of forbidden language. The texts are intended as a revolt against the history of an alienation that is not entirely exhausted. As another example, Edmond Amrane el-Maleh, before his death in November 2010, resorted to meditation and intimate expression: the writer favored interior monologue, reverie and memory. His aim was to reconstruct a repressed history (that of the man and Moroccan society of Jewish origin) and to reactivate the imagination associated with it.
Tahar Ben Jelloun
Who doesn't know Le racisme expliqué à ma fille? First published in 1998 and translated into some twenty languages, this book is a real pamphlet for respect and tolerance. But who is Tahar Ben Jelloun? Born in Fez in 1947, this writer and poet went to a bilingual primary school and then to the French high school in Tangier. After studying philosophy, which he taught for a while, he moved to Paris and studied psychology. He obtained a doctorate in 1975. Although he had already published a collection of poetry in 1971(Hommes sous linceul de silence) and novels(Hourrada, 1973; L'Écrivain public, 1983), it was in 1985 that he achieved real success with his novel L'Enfant de sable. Two years later, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt for La Nuit sacrée. Tahar Ben Jelloun published many other works. Think for example of La Nuit de l'erreur (1997), L'Ablation (2014) or his rewriting of tales with Mes contes de Perrault (2014) and Le Mariage de plaisir (2016).
The 2000s
The 2000s saw the emergence of young writers who defied censorship by revealing a country lost between taboos and religion. Abdellah Taïa and Rachid O will not hesitate to discuss their homosexuality, a sensitive and shameful subject in Morocco... Writer and filmmaker born in 1973, Abdellah Taïa also holds a doctorate in literature. He published his first collection of short stories, Mon Maroc, in 2001. This was followed by Le Rouge du tarbouche (2004), L'Armée du salut (2006) and Le Jour du roi (2010), which won the Prix de Flore. In 2007, he also wrote an article for a Moroccan newspaper entitled "L'Homosexualité expliquée à ma mère" ("Homosexuality explained to my mother"). In 2012, he adapted his third novel, L'Armée du salut, which won the Grand Prix du Jury at the Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers (2014). Rachid O (b. 1970) also evokes the experiences of Muslim homosexuals in the Maghreb. His five novels published by Gallimard have all met with great success(L'Enfant ébloui, 1995; Plusieurs vies, 1996; Chocolat chaud, 1998; Ce qui reste, 2003; Analphabètes, 2013).
Writer Mohamed Choukri (1935-2003) saw his autobiographical novel Le Pain nu (first published in 1973 in English, then in French in 1980) banned in Morocco between 1983 and 2000. In it, he recounts his adolescence during the exodus from the Rif to Tangiers. It evokes violence, politics and taboos, making it a controversial work in Morocco. Since then, he has become one of the symbols of Moroccan literature. Mohamed Choukri has also written a collection of short stories, La Tente (1985), Jean Genet et Tennessee Williams à Tanger (1992), Paul Bowles. Le Reclus de Tanger (1997).
Another key figure in contemporary literature is Leïla Slimani. Born in Meknes in 1981, this woman of letters grew up in a family where French was spoken. She completed her higher education in Paris and became a journalist. She published her first novel, Dans le jardin de l'ogre, in 2014, when she was a finalist for the Prix de Flore. Two years later, she was awarded the Prix Goncourt for her novel Chanson douce, which, written in the form of analepse - flashback - tells the fate of two small children murdered by their nanny. This gripping novel made her one of the most popular authors of her generation. Her other works include Le Diable est dans les détails (2016) and Le Pays des autres (2020), the first volume of a trilogy.
Fouad Laroui lives in the Netherlands. Born in Oujda in 1958, Fouad Laroui writes mainly in Dutch and French. This doctor of economics has written numerous books and won numerous awards. These include De quel amour blessé (1998) (impossible love between a North African man and a Jewish woman); Une année chez les Français (2010) and Les Tribulations du dernier Sijilmassi (2014); Ce vain combat que tu livres au monde (2016) and L'insoumise de la Porte de Flandre (2017). Her collection of short stories, L'Étrange Affaire du pantalon de Dassoukine, published in 2012, won the Prix Goncourt for short stories. A perfect blend of comedy and psychology, the author paints a portrait of contemporary society.
