For Bread Alone - Softcover

Choukri, Mohamed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846590108 ISBN 13: 9781846590108

Publisher: Telegram Books, 2007

Synopsis

“A true story of human desperation, shattering in its impact.”—Tennessee Williams

Driven by famine from their home in the Rif, Mohamed’s family walks to Tangiers in search of a better life. But his father is unable to find work and grows violent. Mohamed learns how to charm and steal. During a short spell in a filthy Moroccan jail, a fellow inmate kindles his life-altering love of poetry.

The distinguished writer Paul Bowles, perhaps best known for his novel The Sheltering Sky, collaborated closely with Mohamed Choukri on the translation of For Bread Alone, and penned the introduction.

About this title

Book Description:

Choukri’s classic and moving work--which has already been translated into more than 10 languages--speaks for an entire generation of North Africans. Born in the Rif, Choukri moved with his family to Tangier at a time of great famine. His childhood was spent in abject poverty; eight of his brothers and sisters died of malnutrition or neglect. During his adolescence, described here with its attendant erotic escapades, Choukri worked for a time as servant to a French family. He then returned to Tangier, where he experienced the violence of the 1952 independence riots. Still illiterate at the age of 20, he made the decision to learn to read and write classical Arabic--a decision which transformed his life. After mastering the language, he became a teacher and writer, and finally was awarded the chair of Arabic Literature at Ibn Batuta College in Tangier.

About the Author:

Mohamed Choukri (1935-2003) is one of North Africa's most controversial and widely read authors. After a childhood of poverty and petty crime, Choukri learned how to read and write at the age of twenty. He then became a teacher and writer, finally being awarded the chair of Arabic Literature at Ibn Batuta College in Tangier. Paul Bowles is a distinguished writer and translator who is best known for his novel The Sheltering Sky.

About this edition

• Publisher: Telegram Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1846590108
• ISBN 13: 9781846590108
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 169