This article translated from Moroccan press by Melanie Magidow
(Hespress April 28, 2018, Wail Bourchachene)
Abdelfattah Kilito, Moroccan writer and literary critic, deplored that his Masters students in the last several years before his retirement “really read nothing.” In an interactive lecture at Ibn Tufail University in Kénitra, he stressed that the students were not familiar with important literary references and prominent writers.
Regarding the titles of his books, Kilito said they were not determined by commercial motives.
Several people have asked me for suggested reading from Moroccan literature. Here are some ideas… For language learning: Sakulich, Aaron. Moroccan Arabic: Shnoo the Hell is Going on Hnaa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija (2009) Novels: Mhani Alaoui’s two novels: Dreams of Maryam Tair: Blue Boots and Orange Blossoms (2015) for fiction with modern Moroccan history and magical realism, and Aya Dane (2018) for contemporary fiction beginning in Boston and exploring creativity, identity, and displacement.
