Muhammad Šukrí Livres

The complete short stories of acclaimed Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, translated into English and collected in one volume for the first time

A haven for many Western writers in the twentieth century, Tangier drew the likes of Paul Bowles, Jean Genet and Tennessee Williams. Each was befriended by Mohamed Choukri. This book offers insights into these three cult figures of twentieth-century literature.

Driven by famine from their home in the Rif, Mohamed's family walks to Tangiers in search of a better life. But his father is unable to find work and grows violent, beating Mohamed's mother and killing his sick younger brother in a moment of mad rage.On moving to another province Mohamed learns how to charm and steal, and discovers the joys of drugs, sex and alcohol. Proud, insolent and afraid of no-one, Mohamed returns to Tangiers, where he is caught up in the violence of the 1952 independence riots. During a short spell in a filthy Moroccan jail, a fellow inmate kindles Mohamed's life-altering love of poetry.The book itself was banned in Arab countries for its sexual explicitness. Dar al-Saqi was the first publishing house to publish it in Arabic in 1982, thirty years after it was written, though many translations came out before the Arabic version.Translated by Paul Bowles.Mohamed Choukri is one of North Africa's most controversial and widely read authors. At the age of twenty he decided to learn to read and write classical Arabic. He went on to become a teacher and writer, finally being awarded the chair of Arabic Literature at Ibn Batuta College in Tangier.Paul Bowles, perhaps best known for his novel The Sheltering Sky, collaborated closely with Choukri on the translation of For Bread Alone.The story of Choukri's life is continued in Streetwise.

At the age of twenty Mohamed Choukri decides to learn to read and write, and joins a children's class at the local state school in Tangier. When not at school he hangs out in cafes, drinking and smoking kif. Choukri's determination to educate himself, and his compassion for those with whom he shares his life on the streets is inspirational.

Mohamed Chukri y Jean Genet se conocieron en Tánger en 1968. Sus conversaciones, recogidas en forma de dietario, se publicaron por primera vez en Estados Unidos en 1973 de la mano de Paul Bowles. En 1974, Genet regresó a Tánger, ocasión que inspiró un segundo libro que permanecería inédito hasta 1992. Estas páginas, escritas con sobriedad e inmediatez, son un reflejo de la vida cotidiana de ambos autores (anécdotas, paseos, discusiones de asunto político y literario) y representan un testimonio íntimo y controvertido.«Leyendo el diario de Chukri, veo y oigo a Genet con tanta claridad como si estuviera viendo una película sobre él. Para lograr semejante grado de precisión refiriendo hechos y palabras, se requiere una visión singularmente penetrante.» William Burroughs