Youssef Fadel

Last updated

Youssef Fadel (born 1949) is a Moroccan novelist and playwright.

Contents

Early life

He was born in Casablanca.

He participated in leftist cultural and political circles starting in the 1960s and was imprisoned by the Moroccan government in the 1980s in the infamous Moulay al-Sheriff prison, during the notorious Years of Lead. [1] [2] [3] He continues to invest political significance in his work today, stating in 2018 that "[t]o be a writer you have to be against the state, firstly...Against everything—the writer is a demolisher. He or she must demolish all taboos, all statues, all idols." [3]

Career

He has written many plays and novels throughout his career, starting in the 1960s. His debut play, The Barber in the Poor District, was turned into a film by Mohamed Reggab in 1982. He has written nine novels, including Hashish (winner of the Grand Atlas Prize in 2001), A Rare Blue Bird that Flies with Me (shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2014), and The Life of Butterflies (longlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2021). [4] [2] His career has reached international acclaim, with coverage in literary forums such as The New Yorker and The Massachusetts Review. [5] [3]

Jorge Aguadé published a study of the diglossic language used in Fadel's works in "Des romans diglossiques: le cas de Youssef Fadel" (Cadiz University, Cadiz, Spain).[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Eugenides</span> American novelist and short story writer

Jeffrey Kent Eugenides is an American author. He has written numerous short stories and essays, as well as three novels: The Virgin Suicides (1993), Middlesex (2002), and The Marriage Plot (2011). The Virgin Suicides served as the basis of a feature film, while Middlesex received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in addition to being a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, and France's Prix Médicis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haruki Murakami</span> Japanese writer (born 1949)

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahar Ben Jelloun</span> Moroccan writer

Tahar Ben Jelloun 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. He now lives in Paris, France, and continues to write. He has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Sorokin</span> Russian writer

Vladimir Georgiyevich Sorokin is a contemporary postmodern Russian writer and dramatist. He has been described as one of the most popular writers in modern Russian literature.

Mohamed Choukri was a Moroccan author and novelist who is best known for his internationally acclaimed autobiography For Bread Alone, which was described by the American playwright Tennessee Williams as "A true document of human desperation, shattering in its impact".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saadeddine Othmani</span> Former Prime Minister of Morocco

Saadeddine Othmani, sometimes translated as Saad Eddine el-Othmani, is a Moroccan politician. He served as the 16th prime minister of Morocco from 17 March 2017 to 7 October 2021. Previously he served as foreign minister from 2012 to 2013.

Youssef Chippo is a Moroccan retired footballer. He was a renowned midfielder for the Morocco national team during the 1990s, and was a member of the team that participated in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Mohamed Zafzaf was a Morrocon Arabic-language novelist and poet. He played a pivotal role in the development of Moroccan literature in the second half of the 20th century and, due to his contributions, came to be known by such titles as "the godfather of Moroccan literature", "the Moroccan Tolstoy", "the Moroccan Dostoyevsky" and as "our great author" among his Moroccan peers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laila Lalami</span> Moroccan-American writer, and professor (born 1968)

Laila Lalami is a Moroccan-American novelist, essayist, and professor. After earning her Licence de lettres degree in Morocco, she received a fellowship to study in the United Kingdom (UK), where she earned an MA in linguistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdallah Laroui</span> Moroccan philosopher, historian, and novelist

Abdallah Laroui is a Moroccan philosopher, historian, and novelist. Besides some works in French, his philosophical project has been written mostly in Arabic. He is among the most read and discussed Arab and Moroccan philosophers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youssef Ziedan</span> Egyptian scholar (born 1958)

Youssef Ziedan is an Egyptian writer and scholar who specializes in Arabic and Islamic studies. He is a public lecturer, columnist, and prolific author of more than 50 books. He is also director of the Manuscript Center and Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Groff</span> American writer

Lauren Groff is an American novelist and short story writer. She has written five novels and two short story collections, including Fates and Furies (2015), Florida (2018), and Matrix (2022).

Ibrahim Aslan was a famous Egyptian novelist and short story writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khairy Alzahaby</span> Syrian writer (1946–2022)

Khairy Alzahaby was a Syrian novelist, thinker, historian, columnist, and scenarist.

The Katara Prize for Arabic Novel is an Arabic literary prize based in Qatar. It was established in 2014 by the Katara Cultural Village. The total prize pool is $650,000 and the main prize $200,000, making it one of the richest literary prizes in the world. One of its sponsors is UNESCO. The winning novels will be translated into five languages - including French and English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youssef En-Nesyri</span> Moroccan footballer (born 1997)

Youssef En-Nesyri is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Sevilla and the Morocco national team. He is known for his aerial game and heading ability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youssef Rakha</span> Egyptian writer

Youssef Rakha is an Egyptian writer. His work explores language and identity in the context of Cairo, and reflects connections with the Arab-Islamic canon and world literature. He has worked in many genres in both Arabic and English, and is known for his essays and poems as well as his novels.

Youssef Maleh is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Empoli on loan from Lecce. Born in Italy, he plays for Morocco national team.

Hassan Aourid is a Moroccan writer. He was born in Errachidia. He has a PhD in political science and lectures at the Mohammed V University. He has published widely in both Arabic and French. He has written half a dozen novels:

Abdelmeguid Sabata is a Moroccan writer and translator.

References

  1. Profile
  2. 1 2 "Youssef Fadel | International Prize for Arabic Fiction". www.arabicfiction.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. 1 2 3 Niarchos, Nicholas (2018-02-28). ""To Be a Writer You Have to Be Against the State": Youssef Fadel Illuminates Morocco's Past and Present". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  4. "Youssef Fadel 's caged bird". Hoopoe. 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. FADEL, YOUSSEF; Bredin, Charis (2014). "from A Rare Blue Bird That Flies with Me". The Massachusetts Review. 55 (4): 621–625. ISSN   0025-4878.