Abdelkebir Khatibi
Encyclopedia
Abdelkebir Khatibi was a Moroccan
literary critic
, novelist and playwright. Affected in his late twenties by the rebellious spirit of 1960s counterculture, he challenged in his writings the social and political norms upon which the countries of the Maghreb
region were constructed.
port city of El Jadida
, Abdelkebir Khatibi was born in the middle period of Morocco's 44-year (1912–56) status as a French
protectorate
. A French-speaking member of the educated class, he studied sociology at the Sorbonne
, receiving a doctorate
in 1967. His dissertation, Le Roman maghrébin [The Maghribian Novel], which examines the question of how a novelist could avoid propagandizing in the context of a postrevolutionary society, and its follow-up, Bilan de la sociologie au Maroc [Assessment of Sociology Concerning Morocco] were both published shortly after the Paris Spring unrest of May 1968.
, five weeks after his 71st birthday. During the final stages of his illness, a measure of the high regard in which he was held was seen in the personal concern of King Mohammed VI who directed his transfer to Morocco's premier medical facility, Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
literary critic
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, novelist and playwright. Affected in his late twenties by the rebellious spirit of 1960s counterculture, he challenged in his writings the social and political norms upon which the countries of the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
region were constructed.
Career
A native of the AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
port city of El Jadida
El Jadida
El Jadida is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the province of El Jadida. It has a population of 144,440...
, Abdelkebir Khatibi was born in the middle period of Morocco's 44-year (1912–56) status as a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
. A French-speaking member of the educated class, he studied sociology at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, receiving a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1967. His dissertation, Le Roman maghrébin [The Maghribian Novel], which examines the question of how a novelist could avoid propagandizing in the context of a postrevolutionary society, and its follow-up, Bilan de la sociologie au Maroc [Assessment of Sociology Concerning Morocco] were both published shortly after the Paris Spring unrest of May 1968.
Final years
In his later years, Abdelkebir Khatibi had been suffering from a chronic cardiac condition which led to his death in the Moroccan capital, RabatRabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, five weeks after his 71st birthday. During the final stages of his illness, a measure of the high regard in which he was held was seen in the personal concern of King Mohammed VI who directed his transfer to Morocco's premier medical facility, Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
Partial list of books
- Études sociologiques sur le Maroc [Sociological Studies Regarding Morocco] (1971)
- La Mémoire tatouée [Tattooed Memory] (1971) ISBN 2-264-00220-4
- La Blessure du nom propre [The Wound Under Its Own Name] (1974)
- Le Livre du sang [The Book of Blood] (1979) Gallimard ISBN 2-07-028677-0
- De la mille et troisième nuit [From the Thousand and Third Night] (1980)
- Amour bilingue [Bilingual Love] (1983); Love in Two Languages (1990 English translation by Richard HowardRichard HowardRichard Howard is an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is a graduate of Columbia University, where he studied under Mark Van Doren, and where he now teaches...
, published by University of Minnesota PressUniversity of Minnesota PressThe University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota.Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its books in social and cultural thought, critical theory, race and ethnic studies, urbanism, feminist criticism, and media...
) - Un été à Stockholm [A Summer in Stockholm] (1992), Flamarion ISBN 2-08-066473-5
- Triptyque de Rabat [Rabat Triptych] (1993)
Plays
- La Mort des artistes [The Death of the Artists] (1964)
- Le Prophète voilé [The Veiled Prophet] (1979)
External links
- List of works by and about Abdelkebir Khatibi
- "Décès de l'écrivain et sociologue Abdelkébir Khatibi" ["Death of Writer and Sociologist Abdelkebir Khatibi" (Le MatinLe Matin du Sahara et du MaghrebLe Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb is a daily francophone Moroccan newspaper. It belongs to Maroc Soir Group.The newspaper is known for its royalist stances....
obituary of 16 March 2009 [includes photograph]) [in French] - "Abdelkébir Khatibi s'en va!-----L'homme a marqué la littérature marocaine par son empreinte exceptionnelle" ["Abdelkebir Khatibi Is Gone!-----Marked Moroccan Literature with His Exceptional Imprint" (posthumous tribute by Hayat Kamal Idrissi in Le MatinLe Matin du Sahara et du MaghrebLe Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb is a daily francophone Moroccan newspaper. It belongs to Maroc Soir Group.The newspaper is known for its royalist stances....
of 16 March 2009 [includes photograph]) [in French] - "Abdelkébir Khatibi vient de décéder-----Disparition. L’hommage fraternel de Patrick Chamoiseau au poète, et intellectuel engagé, qui fut grand prix de l’Académie française en 1994" ["Abdelkebir Khatibi Has Died-----Departure. Fraternal Trubute by Patrick Chamoiseau to the Committed Poet and Intellectual, Who Attained the Grand Prize of the French Academy in 1994"] (L'HumanitéL'HumanitéL'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
obituary of 26 March 2009) [in French] - Rousseau, Christine. "Abdelkébir Khatibi, philosophe, sociologue et romancier" ["Abdelkebir Khatibi, Philosopher, Sociologist and Novelist" (Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
obituary of 26 March 2009) [in French] - L'écrivain et sociologue marocain Abdelkébir Khatibi est mort ["Moroccan Writer and Sociologist Abdelkebir Khatibi is Dead" (Medi@terranee obituary of 20 April 2009 [includes photograph]) [in French]