Bensalem Himmich () (born in 1948 in

Meknes Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...

) is a Moroccan novelist, poet and philosopher with a PhD in Philosophy from the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

, who teaches at the

Mohammed V University Mohammed V University (, french: Université Mohammed-V de Rabat), in Rabat, Morocco, was founded in 1957 under a royal decree ( Dahir). It is the first modern university in Morocco after the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. History The un ...

, Rabat. He served as Minister of Culture from 29 July 2009 to 3 January 2012.

Career

He has published 26 books, both literary and scientific works, in Arabic and French. As a liberal philosopher, Himmich is concerned with matters including ideological education in Islam. He advocates the division of church and state. His creative and academic works are in both

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

and some of his novels have been translated into several languages. The Egyptian Writers’ Union selected his novel Majnoun Al-Hukm (The Theocrat) as one of the 100 best novels of the 20th Century, and another novel, Mu’adhdhibati (My Torturess), was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Himmich received the grand award of the French Academy of Toulouse in 2011. His work deals with the problems and conflicts with which

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

is faced today.

Books

* ''De la formation idéologique en Islam'' * ''Le Calife de l'épouvante (Le serpent à plumes)'' * ''The Polymath'', ed.: American University in Cairo * ''Au pays de nos crises'' * ''The Self - Between Existence and Creation''

Awards

* Bensalem Himmich won the prize of the critics (1990) for his novel ''le fou du pouvoir'', a book elected by the Arab union of writers as one of the hundred best books of the 20th century. * He won the prize Charika of the Arab culture of jury composed of UNESCO and well known literary personalities. * Ben Salem Himmich won the

Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature The Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature is a literary award for Arabic literature.Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldun (; ar, أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي, ; 27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732-808 AH) was an Arab The Historical Muhammad', Irving M. Zeitlin, (Polity Press, 2007), p. 21; "It is, of ...

) (The award was established in 1996 and awarded for the best contemporary novel published in Arabic. The winning work is translated into English and published in Cairo, London, and New York.) *The Naguib Mahfouz Medal (Cairo, 2002). Himmich was awarded by the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature for his book Al-'Allamah (The Polymath), about the great Arab writer and thinker Ibn Khaldoun. *The UNESCO Sharjah Prize (Paris, 2003). *2019

Sheikh Zayed Book Award The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a literary award begun in the UAE. It is presented yearly to "Arab writers, intellectuals, publishers as well as young talent whose writings and translations of humanities have scholarly and objectively enriched Arab ...

: Literature Award.

References

1948 births People from Meknes University of Paris alumni 20th-century Moroccan poets 21st-century Moroccan poets 20th-century Moroccan writers 21st-century Moroccan writers Living people Male novelists Academic staff of Mohammed V University Moroccan male writers Moroccan novelists Moroccan philosophers Moroccan writers in French Recipients of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature Socialist Union of Popular Forces politicians {{Morocco-writer-stub