The first English translation of one of the novels that helped change modern Arab literature
Mohamed Choukri, one of the most important writers of modern Moroccan literature, grew up in extreme poverty in Tangier and was illiterate until the age of twenty. After learning to read, he realized that "writing could also be a way to expose, to protest against those who have stolen my childhood, my teenage-hood and a piece of my youthfulness." His vivid portrayals of marginalized people, which had been considered taboo, led to the censorship of his work and a cultural backlash in the Middle East.
In Faces, the third book in his trilogy of fictionalized autobiographical works, he describes gritty events, extreme poverty, prostitution, violence, sexual revelry, deprivation, and abuse. It is through his storytelling that Choukri reflects on human nature, love, and kindness–emphasizing the need for community and collaboration. Faces humanizes those undergoing poverty and places the blame for the violence they encounter squarely on colonial forces and the resulting postcolonial government, while opening literary traditions to a new style of writing.
Choukri's friendships with Tennessee Williams, Paul Bowles, Jean Genet, and other writers brought him attention in his lifetime. But Faces—his last novel, which was originally published in Arabic in 2000—has remained untranslated until now. In English for the first time, Jonas Elbousty's translation allows Choukri's work to reach wider international discussions of contemporary Arab literature.
Reviews
"Thanks to Jonas Elbousty's subtle and nuanced translation, Mohamed Choukri's groundbreaking novelistic autobiography is now fully available in English with its devastating and uncompromising gaze on modern Morocco. A must read."—Jonathan Smolin, associate professor, Dartmouth College
"Elbousty's translation of Mohamed Choukri's Faces is a tour de force. Elbousty not only captures Choukri's incisive style in the Arabic original but also effortlessly conveys the vividness of his quotidian universe into English. Elbousty does a much-needed justice to an Amazigh giant of Moroccan literature written in Arabic. Conducted expertly, Faces in Elbousty's rendering remains faithful to the creative force that emanated from Choukri's unique or even antisocial life choices. Reading this translation in English opens a window into the myriad ways in which Choukri acted as a sociologist among his characters in real life and reveals another way that Elbousty's magnificent translation can widen the scope of his readers' engagement with Choukri's works beyond Faces."—Brahim El Guabli, chair and associate professor of Arabic studies, Williams College, cofounder and coeditor, Tamazgha Studies Journal
"Thanks to Elbousty's deft translation, the third and final installment of Mohamed Choukri's novelistic autobiographical trilogy is finally available in English. Choukri remains one of Morocco's boldest and most important voices whose chronicles of his violent and impoverished upbringing and later literary triumphs are modern classics."—Alexander Elinson, head of Arabic program, Hunter College
"In this surprising finale to his fictional-spiritual autobiography, Choukri cedes center stage to a vivid cast of characters—confrères, rivals, alter egos. And yet he is the man and writer we have always known: penniless and cursed, empathetic and profane, our best guide to the nights of Tangiers."—Robyn Creswell, Yale University
About the Author
Mohamed Choukri (1935–2003) was a key figure in twentieth-century Arabic literature. His oeuvre includes many works, including his autobiographical trilogy, comprising For Bread Alone, Streetwise, and Faces. Jonas Elbousty, PhD, teaches in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Yale University and is the director of undergraduate studies at the Council on Middle East Studies of the Yale MacMillan Center. He is the author or coauthor of eight books.
