Tahar Ben Jelloun (; born 1 December 1944) is a Moroccan writer who rose to fame for his 1985 novel ''L'Enfant de sable'' ('' The Sand Child''). All of his work is written in French although his first language is Darija. He has been nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

Early life and career

Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Morocco in December 1944. As a child, he attended an Arabic-French bilingual elementary school. He then studied in the Lycée Regnault in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, until he was 18 years old. He studied philosophy at Mohammed V University in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

. After he was a professor of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, he joined the group that ran the literary magazine '' Souffles'' in the mid-1960s, and he wrote many pieces for the cultural magazine. He later participated in the student rebellion against the repressive and violent acts of the Moroccan police. In 1966, he was forced into military service as his punishment. Five years later, his first poems were published in ''Hommes sous linceul de silence'' (1971). Shortly thereafter he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to study

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, and in 1972 began writing for ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

''. He received his doctorate in

social psychiatry Social psychiatry is a branch of psychiatry that studies how the social environment impacts mental health and mental illness. It applies a cultural and societal lens on mental health by focusing on mental illness prevention, community-based care, m ...

in 1975. In January 2003, Ben Jelloun was nominated one of the two candidates for the 16th seat of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, the moderating body of the French language. This seat was last held by

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor ( , , ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, cultural theorist and poet who served as the first president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980. Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one ...

. A month later, Ben Jelloun ended his campaign for the position. Today, Ben Jelloun is known for his literary career but also his appearances on French media outlets in which he speaks about the experiences of people of North African descent living in France. He lives in Paris and continues to write.

Writing career

Ben Jelloun's 1985 novel ''L’Enfant de Sable'' (translated as '' The Sand Child'') brought widespread attention. In 1987, he received the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

for his novel ''La Nuit Sacrée'' (''The Sacred Night''), which made him the first

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

author to receive the award. His 1996 novel ''Les raisins de la galère'' (''The Fruits of Hard Work'') is a reflection on

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and traditional Muslim ideas about a woman's place. The

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

, Nadia (a young French woman of Algerian origin), fights racism and exclusion to find her place in French society. In 1993, he received the journalistic award ''Golden Doves for Peace'', issued by the Italian Research Center Archivio Disarmo. Ben Jelloun was awarded the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

for ''Cette aveuglante absence de lumière'' ('' This Blinding Absence of Light'') in 2004. In 2005 he received the Prix Ulysse for the entire body of his work. Ben Jelloun has written several

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

works. His first is ''Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille'', translated as '' Racism Explained to My Daughter'' (1998). The text is an educative tool for children and is the main reason for him being regularly invited to speak at schools and universities. His text is addressed to his own daughter, but he is actually writing to all French children who are troubled by complex but important topics that surround racism. He argues that the primary solution to solve racism in France is through education, specifically education starting at a young age. He also makes the connection between

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

and racism in a way that is understandable to his young audience by explaining that colonialism is a type of domination and power that aids racism to exist at the state level. He also has written ''L'Islam expliqué aux enfants'', translated as ''Islam Explained'' (2002), and ''Le Terrorisme expliqué à nos enfants'', translated as ''On Terrorism'' (2016) in response to the 1990s protests against French immigration laws, the

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and the

November 2015 Paris attacks A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:16, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-De ...

, respectively. In September 2006, Ben Jelloun was awarded a special prize for "peace and friendship between people" at the Lazio between Europe and the Mediterranean Festival. On 1 February 2008,

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

awarded him the Cross of Grand Officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. In

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, his novel ''Le mariage de plaisir'' was shortlisted for the GPLA 2016 (Belles-Lettres Category).

Tributes

The asteroid (29449) Tahar benjelloun was named in his honour.

Selected works

* ''Hommes sous linceul de silence'' (1971) * ''Harrouda'' (

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

) * ''Solitaire'' (

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

) * ''French Hospitality'' (1984) * '' The Sand Child'' (

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

) * '' The Sacred Night'' (

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

) * ''Silent Day in Tangiers'' (

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

) * ''With Downcast Eyes'' (

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

) * ''State of Absence'' (1992) * ''Corruption'' (

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

) * ''The Fruits of Hard Work'' (1996) * ''Praise of Friendship'' (1996) * ''L'Auberge des pauvres'' (1997) * '' Racism Explained to My Daughter'' (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

) * '' This Blinding Absence of Light'' (

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

) * ''Islam Explained'' (

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

) * ''Amours sorcières'' (2003) * ''La Belle au bois dormant'' (2004) * ''The Last Friend'' (2006) * ''Yemma'' (2007) * ''Leaving Tangier'' (2009) * ''The Rising of the Ashes'' (2009) * ''A Palace in the Old Village'' (2010) * ''Par le feu'' (2011, Éditions Gallimard) published in English (2016,

Northwestern University Press Northwestern University Press is an American publishing house affiliated with Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It publishes 70 new titles each year in the areas of continental philosophy, poetry, Slavic and German literary criticis ...

) as ''By Fire: Writings on the Arab Spring'' * ''Le Bonheur conjugal'' (2012, Éditions Gallimard) published in English (2016, Melville House) as ''The Happy Marriage'' * ''L'Ablation'' (2014) * ''Le mariage du plaisir'' (2016, Éditions Gallimard), shortlisted for the

Grand Prix of Literary Associations The Grand Prix of Literary Associations (GPLA) were launched in 2013 in Cameroon, in partnership with Brasseries du Cameroun and sponsorship by Castel Beer. The GPLA are defined as bilingual English-and-French literary prizes, some being awar ...

2016 (Belles-Lettres Category). Published in English (June 2021,

) as ''The Pleasure Marriage''

References

External links

Rawafed: documentary interview Tahar Ben Jelloun "part one". Alarabiya.net

* * * [http://maduba.free.fr/dialogue_complaisance.pdf - "Dialogue interculturel et complaisance esthétique dans l'oeuvre de Tahar Ben Jelloun", Par Salah NATIJ, in website Ma'duba / Invitation à l'adab], Le Premier Amour est Toujours le Dernier moha le fou, moha le sage.
"Tahar Ben Jelloun's ''The Rising of the Ashes''"
''City Lights''.
"Tahar Ben Jelloun Art Review: The Roots of Times"
''Morocco Newsline'', 15 December 2009.

* Ruth Schneider, ttp://www.exberliner.com/articles/%E2%80%9Cdemocracy-is-not-like-an-aspirin-you-dissolve-in-water%E2%80%9D/index.html "'“Democracy is not like an aspirin you dissolve in water'"(interview), ''Exberliner Magazine'', 17 October 2011
"Tahar Ben Jelloun (France)"
Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin. *Nicoletta Pireddu
"A Moroccan Tale of an Outlandish Europe: Ben Jelloun's Departure for a Double Exile"
Research in African Literatures, 40 (3), Fall 2009: 16-36 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ben Jelloun, Tahar 1944 births Living people Exophonic writers Writers from Fez, Morocco Magic realism writers Moroccan anti-racism activists Moroccan male writers Moroccan male novelists Moroccan writers in French Prix Goncourt winners 20th-century Moroccan novelists 21st-century novelists Officers of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Joseph Kessel Prize recipients Mohammed V University alumni