Ahmed Sefrioui

Sefrioui, Ahmed (1915-2004). Moroccan novelist. As chronicles of pre-independence Morocco, Sefrioui's books draw on the story-telling traditions of his native Fez. He showed himself aware of the danger of alienation through the use of French and of footnoting in works like La Boîte à merveilles (1954) and Le Chapelet d'ambre (1949), when he spoke of ‘cette technique linguistique de depaysement’. Sefrioui's writing is indicative of the resilience of oral culture, which, like the old medina of Fez itself, remained beyond the reach of the French. This power may be due to his rooting himself in Sufi mysticism. He is a path-breaking author much imitated by Tahar Ben Jelloun.

[Jackie Kaye]

1915 -

Moroccan novelist and short-story writer.

Ahmed Sefrioui was born in Fez, Morocco. He studied at the Mulay Idris College in Fez, where he received a predominantly French education. He subsequently held posts at the Moroccan Office of Arts and Crafts, the Batha Museum in Fez, and the Office of Historic Monuments in Rabat.

Sefrioui's writings show his great interest in his country's folklore. Le jardin des sortilèges ou le parfum des légendes (1989; The garden of sorcery or the perfume of legends) is essentially a book of folktales. Other works, such as Le chapelet d'ambre (1949; The amber rosary) and La boîte à merveille (1954; The magic box), portray traditional Moroccan life and customs, which Sefrioui cherishes. Although they were written while Morocco was a French colony, Sefrioui's books ignore the foreign presence. His portrayals of his country's traditions are an affirmation of a threatened identity.

Sefrioui's approach is that of an ethnologist describing his society's customs and traditions and his religion's (Islam's) dictates. His novel La maison de servitude (1973; The house of slavery) provides a glimpse of traditional life in the city of Fez and of the teaching at the qarawiyyin (mosque university), paying special attention to details and using many Arabic terms to add an element of local color. Sefrioui's concern for the preservation of his culture is not unconditional and blind, however: He believes in the evolution of societies and the inevitability - and benefit - of change.

Bibliography

Jack, Belinda. Francophone Literatures: An Introductory Survey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Marx-Scouras, Danielle. "North African Literature in French." Encyclopedia of African Literature, edited by Simon Gikandi. London and New York: Routledge, 2003.

— AIDA A. BAMIA

Moroccan literature

List of writers Literature of Morocco Moroccan Arabic Berber

Moroccan authors

Novelists Playwrights - Poets Essayists - Historians Travel writers - Sufi writers Moorish writers

Forms

Novel - Poetry - Plays

Criticism & Awards

Literary theory - Critics Literary Prizes

See also

El Majdoub - Awzal Choukri - Ben Jelloun Zafzaf - El Maleh Chraîbi - Mernissi Leo Africanus - Khaïr-Eddine

Morocco Portal

Literature Portal

Ahmed Sefrioui (Arabic: أحمد صفروي‎) was a Moroccan novelist and pioneer of Moroccan literature in the French language. He was born in Fes in 1915 of Berber parents.^[1]

Sefrioui was founder of the Al Batha museum in Fes, a town that is present in almost all of his writings. After the Qur'an school and the schools of Fes Sefrioui has made French his own. As a young journalist for "Action du Peuple" and as writer of historical articles as a curator for the "Addoha" museum he mastered the language. After 1938 he worked at the government departments of culture, education and tourism in Rabat. He died in 2004.

References

1. ^ Simon Gikandi, Encyclopedia of African Literature, ed. Taylor & Francis, 2003, ISBN 9780415230193, p. 677

Books

• Le chapelet d'ambre (Le Seuil, 1949) : His first novel centered on Fez (for this novel he receives "le grand prix littéraire du Maroc")
• La boîte à merveille (Le Seuil, 1954) : the city of Fez, as seen through the eyes of the little Mohammed. This novel about traditions and life in the city was a milestone for Moroccan literature.
• La maison de servitude (SNED, Algérie, 1973)
• Le jardin des sortilèges ou le parfum des légendes (L'Harmattan, 1989).

 This article about a Moroccan writer or poet is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)