Abdellatif Laabi

Laâbi, Abdellatif (b. 1942). The major Moroccan francophone writer of the post-Independence period and one of the major 20th-c. literary figures in the Maghreb. Editor of Souffes, politically active in the Parti de la Libération et du Socialisme, he was arrested, tortured, and imprisoned in 1972 for ‘délits d'opinion’. Adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, he was awarded the Prix de la Liberté, PEN Club, and the Prix International de Poésie by the Fondation des Arts, Rotterdam, while still in jail. He was released in 1980 and now lives in France.

Laâbi's imprisonment is not coincidental to his work but fundamental, as it arose from his insistence on the intensely political nature of writing. His use of French, rather than Arabic, is a deliberate choice in his attempt to find a language which can detraditionalize as well as decolonize the Moroccan consciousness. Laâbi's writing constantly refers back to the orality of Morocco. He moves amongst genres in a style which he himself terms ‘itinéraire’, as he constantly seeks to elude conventional modes and responses. His constant terror is of being submerged by the aphasia which is colonialism's lasting legacy and which tyranny in Morocco has perpetuated. His achievement is the creation of a new literary language which is constantly preoccupied with the nature of writing; his failure is inevitable given the paradox of a committed revolutionary writer in a society of illiterates.

It was during his imprisonment that Laâbi's creativity developed to full maturity, leaving only a trace of the rather false surrealism of his early L'Œil et la nuit (1969). In Le Règne de barbarie (1976), Sous le baillon (1981), and L'Écorché vif (1986), called prosoèmes, he strives for a language which is refined, lucid, and angry and which is free from the pseudomimetic function of prose, while not being afraid to incorporate authentic material such as letters to Mario de Andrade and to his son in L'Écorché vif. In Le Chemin des ordalies (1982), Laâbi transformed his prison letters, later published as Chroniques de la citadelle d'exil (1983), into a lucid prose poem which is one of the most memorable accounts of imprisonment ever written.

In interviews, such as that with Jacques Alessandra published as La Brûlure des interrogations (1985), Laâbi explores honestly and with great historical insight the dilemma of the relationship between the intellectual and the state, a dilemma which faces all writers from impoverished and despotic societies and which is often evaded or marginalized. By consistently problematizing the role of the writer, Laâbi's work has held out the possibility of the emergence of an uncompromised literary voice in the Maghreb; in this his role is second only to that of Kateb Yacine in Algeria.

Laâbi has also been responsible for several translations from Arabic into French, including the writings of the Iraqi poet Abdelwahab Al Bayati, Autobiographie du voleur de feu (1987). Other works include a theatrical piece, Le Baptême chacaliste (1987), and the poetry sequences Discours sur la colline arabe (1985) and Histoire de sept crucifiés de l'espoir (1980). In 1980 a collection of essays by distinguished authors and scholars was published as Pour Laâbi.

[Jackie Kaye]

1942 -

Moroccan poet and novelist.

Abdellatif Laabi was born in Fez, Morocco, to a Muslim family. He obtained a B.A. in French literature and taught French at the Lycée Mulay Idris. He founded the journal Souffles (Breaths) with Mohammed Khair-Eddine and Mustafa Nissaboury in 1966; the Arabic version of this journal was called Anfas. Laabi was imprisoned in 1972 and released on 18 July 1980. He has lived in France since 1985.

Laabi received strong support from friends and intellectuals all over the world while in prison. He continued to write poetry during this period and received many literary prizes. He describes his prison years in a series of poems and letters titled Chroniques de la citadelle d'exil (1983; Chronicles of the citadel of banishment).

Laabi seeks to eliminate the dividing lines between literary genres, but he is primarily a poet with an impressive number of poetry collections, including Le règne de barbarie, et d'autres poèmes (1980; The cruel rule and other poems), which marks the beginning of his poetic and literary writings. His most recent publications are Le spleen de Casablanca (1997; The spleen of Casablanca) and the illustrated collection Petit musé portatif (2002; A small portable museum). Laabi's success with poetry led him to write plays, including Le baptême chacaliste (1987; Jackalian baptism), Exercices de tolérance (1993; Drills in tolerance), and Rimbaud et Shéhérazade (2000; Rimbaud and Scheherazade). He also published four novels. L'oeil de la nuit (1969; The eye of the night), Les rides du lion (1989; The wrinkles of the lion), and Le chemin des ordalies (1982; The road of ordeals), re-edited in 2000 as Le fou d'espoir (Crazy with hope), relate his painful years in prison. His Le fond de la jarre (2002; The bottom of the jug) evokes the traditional life in Fez during the colonial period.

Laabi has translated extensively from Arabic into French: the poems of the Moroccan Abdallah Zrika, published as Rires de l'arbre à palabre (1982; Laughter of the palaver tree); an anthology of Palestinian poetry, La poésie palestinienne de combat (1970; Palestinian struggle poetry); Mahmud Darwish's poetry, as Rien qu'une autre année (1983; It is only another year); Soleil en instance (1986; Sun in process), by the Syrian novelist Hanna Mina; a collection of poetry by the Iraqi Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati, Autobiographie du voleur de feu (1987; Autobiography of the fire thief); and a collection of poems by the Palestinian Samih al-Qassim, Je t'aime au gré de la mort (1988; I love you at the pleasure of death).

Laabi's works reveal an interest in the human being and a strong commitment to the Palestinian cause. Much of his writing can be described as revolutionary. His long-term goal was to sever the strong link to Western culture in order to end the cultural alienation of the Maghribi writer. Yet he also sought renewal through the elimination of antiquated and unsuitable traditions. His pre-prison poetry was characterized by a violent anger provoked by the repressive policy of the time. The writings published in Souffles reflect a similar attitude. His post-prison poetry shows signs of greater wisdom, maturity, and depth of reflection.

Laabi explained his positions, ideology, and prison experience in a series of conversations with Jacques Alessandra published under the title La brûlure des interrogations (1985; The scald of interrogations). He provided in the same book a useful assessment of the literary scene in Morocco and an insight into his writings and thought.

Bibliography

Abdel-Jaouad, Hédi. Encyclopedia of African Literature. London: Routledge, 2003.

— AIDA A. BAMIA

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