Leaving Tangier: A Novel by Tahar Ben Jelloun (English) Paperback Book

Description: Leaving Tangier by Tahar Ben Jelloun, Linda Coverdale From one of the world's great writers, a breakthrough novel about leaving home for a better lifeIn his new novel, award-winning, internationally bestselling author Tahar Ben Jelloun tells the story of a Moroccan brother and sister making new lives for themselves in Spain. Azel is a young man in Tangier who dreams of crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. When he meets Miguel, a wealthy Spaniard, he leaves behind his girlfriend, his sister, Kenza, and his mother, and moves with him to Barcelona, where Kenza eventually joins them. What they find there forms the heart of this novel of seduction and betrayal, deception and disillusionment, in which Azel and Kenza are reminded powerfully not only of where they've come from, but also of who they really are. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description From one of the worlds great writers, a novel that mirrors the journeys of millions who leave home for a better life In Leaving Tangier, award-winning, internationally bestselling author Tahar Ben Jelloun tells the story of a Moroccan brother and sister making new lives for themselves in Spain. Azel is a young man in Tangier who dreams of crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. When he meets Miguel, a wealthy Spaniard, he leaves behind his girlfriend, his sister, Kenza, and his mother, and moves with him to Barcelona, where Kenza eventually joins them. What they find there forms the heart of this novel of seduction and betrayal, deception and disillusionment, in which Azel and Kenza are reminded powerfully not only of where theyve come from, but also of who they really are. Author Biography Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in 1944 in Fez, Morocco, and emigrated to France in 1961. A novelist, essayist, critic, and poet, he is a regular contributor to Le Monde, La Republica, El País, and Panorama. His novels include The Sacred Night (winner of the 1987 Prix Goncourt), Corruption, and The Last Friend. Ben Jelloun won the 1994 Prix Maghreb, and in 2004 he won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for This Blinding Absence of Light. Review "A brave, unflinching look at the issues underlying economic migration from North Africa—and the hard choices people make between roots and wings." —The Economist "[A] penetrating tale." —The New York Times Book Review "Ben Jelloun is arguably Moroccos greatest living author, whose impressive body of work combines intellect and imagination in magical fusion. . . . Leaving Tangier is a wholly original feat of form and imagination. . . . There is unexpected humour jostling alongside the horror, in magical-realist passages illuminating the clash of traditional and modern." —The Guardian "Artful and compassionate, Leaving Tangier evokes a milieu of self-exile and great expectations." —The Washington Post "Just as John Updike reminded Americans of the guilt and vertigo they sort out between the sheets, Ben Jelloun has chronicled the shame and secrecy surrounding sex in a Morocco of creeping fundamentalism and diminishing opportunity. The explicitness of the sex in his work is powerful and often beautifully erotic; its . . . where sex amplifies the degradations of postcolonial economic reality that Leaving Tangier lands like a hammer blow. . . . Leaving Tangier would read like a blunt political instrument . . . were Ben Jelloun not such a wonderfully specific writer. Many scenes of agonizing depravity convey the desperation of poverty. . . . From such bracing particulars, Ben Jelloun fashions political fiction of great urgency." —John Freeman, Bookforum "Tahar Ben Jelloun lifts the veil on an astounding world of a thousand and one nights." —Le Point "Of the thirty books Tahar Ben Jelloun has written, this is undoubtedly one of the most courageous." —Le Monde des Livres Review Quote Tahar Ben Jelloun lifts the veil on an astounding world of a thousand and one nights. Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide INTRODUCTION Across the Strait of Gibraltar from Tangier lies a land that holds the possibility of a better life for Azel, a frustrated and poor young Moroccan: Spain--a refuge from the poverty and political corruption that infest Morocco. Azels only goal is, as he puts it, to "burn up" the ocean between the two countries. But, beguiled by this dream, Azel doesnt anticipate what will happen when he tries to leave his past in the ashes. This is the conflict at the heart of Tahar Ben Jellouns Leaving Tangier , his thirtieth book and a searing portrait of the immigrant journey toward a new life, one where terrible compromises are made, character is tested, and illusions are lost. Ben Jellouns novel sheds a cold light on a side of North African life that is often overlooked and at times unimaginable; he is unflinching in his commitment to expose the sacrifice and pain inherent in the struggle to rise above poverty and move within the Western world. Leaving Tangier centers on the paths of Azel and his sister, Kenza, as they seek to reinvent their lives, in Barcelona, and how their paths diverge once they get there. Each siblings ambition rests in the hands of Miguel, a mysterious wealthy older Spaniard, and a man generous and loving one moment, demanding and cruel the next. Miguels power lies in what he can offer the siblings--and in what he can take away. Azel and Kenza, both romantically linked with Miguel, are forced to face their own characters: They must define the limits of their ambitions, their integrity, and what lines they are willing to cross to achieve their goals. While Azel and Kenza are each seduced by the promise of Spain and what it represents, only one of the siblings achieves their dream; the other descends into nightmare. Through broken trust and broken hearts, sister and brother learn that personal reinvention can mean letting go of the best of ones self. Yet Leaving Tangier doesnt look only at Barcelona; it also reflects on those left behind in Morocco--the parents left hoping for the best, the children forced to work in factories, the aimless men falling prey to religious extremism. Dreams haunt everyone in the novel, sometimes leading to despair as they crumble, sometimes providing solace in times of woe. A masterful blend of poetic imagery and powerful language, Leaving Tangier is a meditation on power, destiny, and love. With its authentic rendering of people and cities both daring and dangerous, and its honest look into the complexities of the human heart, Ben Jellouns novel is a challenging read; it defies the conventions of polite society and dares to examine the limits of ambition and striving, expressing both sympathy and anger over a dark struggle that still exists today. ABOUT TAHAR BEN JELLOUN Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Fez, Morocco, and immigrated to France in 1961. A novelist, essayist, critic, and poet, he is a regular contributor to Le Monde, La R Excerpt from Book 1 Toutia In Tangier, in the winter, the Caf Details ISBN0143114654 Author Linda Coverdale Short Title LEAVING TANGIER Language English Translator Linda Coverdale ISBN-10 0143114654 ISBN-13 9780143114659 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 823 Year 2009 Birth 1944 Subtitle A Novel DOI 10.1604/9780143114659 Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2009-03-31 NZ Release Date 2009-03-31 US Release Date 2009-03-31 UK Release Date 2009-03-31 Pages 288 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Publication Date 2009-03-31 Imprint Penguin USA Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:17327922;

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