Letter to Mohamed Choukri: Writing between Silence and Prattle, by Mohamed Berrada Cultural Cross Sections [email protected] Wed, 08/07/2024 - 15:25 Mohamed Choukri (left) and Mohamed Berrada / Photo courtesy the estate of Mohamed ChoukriIn the introduction to Mohamed Berrada’s Ward wa Ramād (Flowers and Ashes, 2000), a work featuring the correspondence between Berrada (b. 1938) and Mohamed Choukri (1935–2003) that spans almost two decades, Berrada describes his first meeting with Choukri: أول مرة تعرفت فيها على محمد شكري، حين التقيته خلال عطلة صيف 1972 بشارع باستور بطنجة...كان يمسك برسن كلب كبير ويمشي بتلقائية وسط زحمة الناس. كنت قد قرأت له نصوصا بمجلة "الآداب" وسمعت أخبارا مليئة بالمبالغات عن حياته الخاصة. تواعدنا على اللقاء في المساء. ولفت نظري خلال محاثتنا التي امتدت إلى ساعة متأخرة من تلك الليلة، أن شكري أبعد ما يكون عن الصورة التي يرسمها له المعجبون: كان رزينا في حواره، وعقلانيا في حججه، جريئا في طروحاته ونقده لما يقرأ. لم يكن مشدودا إلى "أسطورة" ماضية، بل كان مفتح العينين على حاضره، يعيش أقرب ما يكون إلى الواقع المعقد المتسارع في تحولاته. وأعجبني أنه لم يكن يلغي ذاته وهو يتحدث أو يختبئ وراء العبارات الأدبية التي يلجأ إليها الكثير من المثقفين. I first met Mohamed Choukri in the summer of 1972 on Rue Pasteur in Tangier. He was walking casually through the crowd, firmly clutching the leash of a large dog. I had read his literary works in the journal, Al-Adab, and had heard exaggerated stories about his private life. We... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2024-08-07 20:25:04 UTC ]
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