Morocco Loses Choukri

Once again, death takes one of morocco’s most outstanding men, Mohamed Choukri, a writer, who has retained literati’s attention all over the world till his death on november, 15th 2003.

During his funeral ceremony, Tangiers, the city in which Choukri spent the majority of his life appeared very gloomy, sad and mournful. He never qui tit ; if asked about Tangiers, Choukri would say that it is changing to the pitch that he is afraid of it . He would also tell you of its glory years when it was the attractive center of many world’s outstanding writers like : Tennessee Williams and John Jane beside many others.

Mohamed Choukri became the famous man and writer as we know, not due to his wide readings but due to his personal experiences, tragedies, and failures as homeless person. His life, then, made his fame through his autobiography, For Bread Only, translated from Arabic into English by Paul Bowels, a close friend to Choukri. It was also translated to aproximately 39 language. This book enjoyed a worldwide success, but it didn’t reach its target readership untill it overcame many obstacles such as that of supposed immorality (containg taboos).

In this respect, it is worth mentioning that it was bannished from the list of the books to be exhibited in Cairo’s International Book Exhibition while he was was praised in Germany for this great frank autobiography. Choukri wrote several other books, but For Bread Only remains the one that raised Choukri to fame.

Yet, unfortunately, death doesn’t distinguish the famous from the one who is not ; to it all poeple are the same. Hence, Choukri, after a long challenge to illness at the military hospital, Mohamed V in rabat, died on November, 15th2003.

Note :

This article was written a month after the death of Mohamed Choukri and first published in « The Voice » magazine, a students magazine in English at the university of Ibn Zohr Agadir edited by the Press Club in which I am a member.

En ce moment sur les Forums

[ Participer aux forums Jeunes du Maroc ]