Literature involving Morocco

June 6, 2005 4:10 PM

I've got a couple of friends that are getting married shortly and then taking off to Morocco for a couple of years early this Fall. Given the unique nature of the first few years of their marraige, they don't have a conventional registry. I'd like to get them a couple of books that are either set in Morocco or deal with Moroccan people elsewhere.

Fiction would be best as I'm sure they're getting very well versed in the history and current culture of the country. Any era in history or locale is fine.

posted by Ufez Jones to media & arts (8 comments total)

Sheltering Sky is the obvious/clicheed choice.
posted by goethean at 4:25 PM on June 6, 2005

A good friend of mine who's an English teacher/writer taught in Morocco a few years ago, who actually got to know Bowles pretty well while he was there. (That may not really be relevant. Bowles was apparently a very, very odd bird, by that point.)

I'll ask him if he's got any good suggestions...if he can think of anything, I'll pass it along.
posted by LairBob at 5:11 PM on June 6, 2005

To find titles, go into your nearest library's catalog and do a subject search using the phrase Morocco Fiction. This is the Library of Congress subject heading for fiction books that are set in Morocco. My library catalog reveals titles like:

* Nekropolis / Maureen F. McHugh. 2001
* Sacred night / Tahar Ben Jelloun ; translated by Alan Sheridan. 2000
* Sheltering sky / Paul Bowles ; with a preface by the author and a review by Tennessee Williams on the occasion of the first publication. 2000
* Inspector Ali / Driss Chraïbi ; translated from the French by Lara McGlashan. 1994
* Jajouka rolling stone : a fable of gods and heroes / Stephen Davis. 1993
* Larabi's ox : stories of Morocco / by Tony Ardizzone ; foreword by Gloria Naylor ; drawings by Allan Servoss. 1992

Your local library should also have a copy of the Fiction Catalog. You can use this to search for even more fiction that is set in Morocco.
posted by AlexanderBanning at 6:43 PM on June 6, 2005

I haven't actually read it, but part of Michener's The Drifters takes place in Morocco.
posted by Staggering Jack at 6:57 PM on June 6, 2005

I forgot to mention: If your library has access to a database called NoveList ("your guide to fiction"), you can do a subject search on Morocco and find more titles. I just did a search in it and found 50 titles. NoveList also includes descriptions and reviews (such as from BookList) for many of the books that are in its database.
posted by AlexanderBanning at 7:09 PM on June 6, 2005

I read this book Street in Marrakesh
before going to Morocco in 1986, and then again when I got back. It's fascinating - read the reviews on Amazon. This woman and her husband were both anthropologists and both spoke arabic, and she was able to become part of the women's community as few others can. Highly recommended - I was glad to see it is still in print.
posted by judybxxx at 7:53 PM on June 6, 2005

IIRC, Anthony Burgess's fantastic Earthly Powers takes place partly in Morocco, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong - it's been years since I've read it.
In any case, it's a hell of a read.
posted by Dr. Wu at 10:49 PM on June 6, 2005

I forgot to mention: the librarians on Fiction_L would probably have some suggestions, if you ask.
posted by AlexanderBanning at 8:31 PM on June 7, 2005