Tahar Ben Jelloun
Tahar Ben Jelloun
Tahar Ben Jellounis a Moroccan writer. The entirety of his work is written in French, although his first language is Arabic. He became known for his 1985 novel L’Enfant de Sable. Today he lives in Paris and continues to write. He has been short-listed for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth1 December 1944
CountryFrance
There is a gulf between the Arab peoples and Arab intellectuals.
great
There are very few great poets in the world.
arab
The world does not look to us in the Arab world out of a healthy desire for knowledge.
best man
The intellectual, the man of thought, doubt and analysis, should give the best of himself.
speaks-out engagement world
We must have our say, not through violence, aggression or fear. We must speak out calmly and forcefully. We shall only be able to enter the new world era if we agree to engage in dialogue with the other side.
friendship laughter love-life
I love life in spite of all that mars it. I love friendship, jokes and laughter.
speaks-out world speak
We do not have many intellectuals who can speak out for us internationally. We have no writers who are recognized, respected and loved outside the Arab world.
voice choir individual
An individual voice can be heard in a choir that otherwise sings in unison. This is something that is not excused.
country egypt ordeals
Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.
way states situation
For me, poetry is a situation - a state of being, a way of facing life and facing history.
country people different
To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing different programmes can make a bid for power.
exile passports ifs
In the '70s I was in exile; every time I went back I wondered if they'd take my passport away.
morocco
In Morocco, it's possible to see the Atlantic and the Mediterranean at the same time.
civilization modern accepted
A modern civilization is only possible when it is accepted that singular beings exist and express themselves freely.