New Moroccan Novel Celebrates Dust, Stars, Night Creatures
Book Reviews
Rabat - Asharq Al-Awsat
In "Dust and Stars," a new novel by Moroccan writer Youssef Fadel published by Italy-based Mediterranean Publishing, the reader stands on "many edges that explore history based on personal experiences, and mental shakes that affect individuals like crises affect nations." According to its introduction, the new novel makes its reader wonder which is better: the optimistic dream or the disturbing nightmare. First, things look settled even if horoscopes predicted the opposite. But with "Kawthar and her feverish commitment to her first love Zakaria, her search for him, and her attempts to recover him after being brainwashed by an Islamist group," you will find yourself in the middle of smoke, dust, and fierce battles…like if a war is about to erupt in the university campus, or in the grassy field, where communists hold a roundtable discussing women rights. And because life offers good luck occasionally and bad luck constantly, the fates of Kawthar and Zakaria cross with those of the doctor, Murad, Ghalia, Hammad, and Sheikh Al Mezraoui, who blesses all the Islamist group's young members eager for fighting. "While you are turning the book's pages, you will feel amazed by the geniality of the details, and the special language used by Youssef Fadel to draw the features of characters who have exaggerated voices, and a flow of emotions that spill like water on the sand, seeking to fulfill a human condition in the middle of a conflict between extremists and lovers on crossing roads in the cities of Asfi, Tangier, and Chefchaouen. Between the city, forest, and sea…there is dust, stars, and night creatures that the day does not know!" reads the introduction of the 336-page book. An extract from the novel: "It's the first girl I met in my old life, in the age of ignorance, and before Al Mezraoui put my hand in Rihab's hand and told me she is my wife. Waiting our close attack on the hall, I remember her, Kawthar. I say I got rid of her on time. Our relationship lasted for 10 months. This means nothing to me. I dumped her after I realized my real goals. Her picture lived in my head for a while, but now it's part of a streak of old pictures. The pictures of a past summer… these pictures that have never left me. I recall them every time I remember Sheikh Al Mezraoui's touching my hair. I feel them, and I fly with Kawthar…I now remember her with nostalgia that I don't understand. I thought I was healed." Fadel has a massive archive of literary works including plays, novels, and scripts. His first play "Barber of the Poor Path," was turned into a movie directed by Late Mohammed al-Rikab. In addition to "Dust and Stars," Fadel wrote 11 other novels including "The Pigs" (1983); "Murmurs" (1990); "Celestina" (1992); "King of Jews" (1996); "Grass" (2000); "Impossible Metro" (2006); "A Zoo Story" (2008); "Beautiful White Cat Walks with me" (2011); "Rare Blue Bird Flies with me" (2013), which was shortlisted for the Global Poker Award 2014, and won the Morocco Book Award in the same year. He also wrote "Happiness" (2016), "Like an Angel in the Dark" (2018), and "Life of Butterflies" (2020).
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3089526/new-moroccan-novel-celebrates-dust-stars-night-creatures
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