Have you ever used an Apple product? Have you ever seen pictures of the surface of Venus or Mars? Have you ever watched The Godfather trilogy? Have you ever read Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The Year of Magical Thinking, Salvador, or The White Album? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then you’ve benefited [...]
Here is how the French newspaper Le Figaro titled its exclusive interview with Afghan president Hamid Karzaï: Karzai: “Je ne serais pas une marionette des Etats-Unis”. (Karzaï: “I will not be a puppet of the United States.”) It’s the funniest headline I’ve seen in a long time. Such existential angst on his part. (via)
I have been reading comments on a few Moroccan blogs about the Mohammed Erraji affair, and while the majority of people support Erraji’s right to free expression, I have to say I’m appalled at the way in which some of the commenters excuse the government and blame the victim. The angry responses range from attacks [...]
“A tale of contemporary Morocco straddling the personal and the political, told simply, beautifully, with heart and panache. Lalami has talent to burn.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook and Absurdistan. “Laila Lalami’s tale of a young Moroccan man who must navigate between a bleak background and a bright possibility is magnificently told [...]
“A dream of a debut, by turns troubling and glorious, angry and wise. With her spare elegant prose Lalami has constructed a world remarkable for its resilience, its vibrancy, its motion, and yes, its hope.” —Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz, author of Drown “Laila Lalami’s compelling work of fiction provides an anatomy of hope and [...]
Audience: About 500. Anxiety index: 3 (out of 10). Surprise guest(s): A woman who patiently waited in line at the signing and then told me: “I’m very proud of you, but I’m also very angry with you. Why did you have to make the only covered girl in your book end up as a prostitute?” [...]
