Mohamed Choukri

Muḥammad Shukrī

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

"As I read Choukrirs"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 Burroughsrs" 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 Choukrirs"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.ls"What Yacoubi would really like is a complete harem,rs" I said. We laughed. ls"One handsome boy is enough for me,rs" said Tennessee. ls"A boy who just happens by.rs" ls"So you donrs"t want a harem?rs" I said. ls"No. Harems are always very tiring. Theyrs"re no fun.rs"Mohamed Choukri (19352003) is one of North Africars"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

Tennessee Williams in Tangier

Jean Genet in Tangier

Kaplan Page Harris

St. Bonaventure University. School of Graduate Studies

"The stories I translated are all set in Morocco and incorporate a number of cultural aspects of the country. My thesis also focuses on the cooperation between Choukri and American writer Paul Bowles."--leaf 3.

A Translation of Four Short Stories of Moroccan Writer, Mohamed Choukri, from Arabic

Paul Bowles in Tangier

sīrah dhātīyah riwāʼīyah, 1935-1956

Al-khubz al-ḥāfī

محمد شكري

سيرة ذاتية روائية، 1935-1956

الخبز الحافي

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.

Muḥammad Shukrī

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