Jamila Abitar, portrait of a lover of words
It all begins “In Marrakech, behind the Koutoubia”... The latest collection of poems by Franco-Moroccan novelist Jamila Abitar takes us back in time, following the footsteps of those “others who preceded her on this wandering path.” A bundle of sensual emotions that we dive into with delight.
We embark on a solitary, hurried, yet light journey through our memories and childhood wounds, yet without bitterness. Sometimes, we can even catch the scents of Marrakech emanating from the poet's words. She knows these unique fragrances so well. One imagines her need to mentally return to her hometown, to turn all the riches of this place, so different from her city of adoption, into poems, and to “make the silence of the ramparts visible”.
Jamila Abitar has lived in France since childhood, where she manages the administrative affairs of three libraries. She also participates in readings and literary events. The poet was born in 1969, in Marrakech. She is the author of The Infinite Blue, Dawn Under the Dunes, and The Oracle of the Fellah.
Prefaced by poet Nasser-Edine Boucheqif, this fourth collection, published by alfAbarre editions, pays tribute to the author's femininity, questioning along the way in a verse, “Who will free me from this poetic soul imprisoned in my blood?” Certainly not the reader, inevitably charmed by the music of her words.
Okumba Simbou Diane Laure, inspired by the night
After an evening of festivities in Marrakech, back at the hotel, when insomnia strikes for some, Okumba Simbou Diane Laure began her book. And she found her subject right there.
The adventure novel “White Night in Marrakech, the original mystery” tells the story of a man marked by fate, in the 12th century, when “Marrakech rose from the earth.” A book built on dreams and fantasies, where the novelist invents the origins of this city that fascinates her. The ochre city continues to feed imaginations and legends passionately. We travel through a Marrakech that is new, different, and even more distant than what we know.
A marvelous adventure novel, which will please even those who are not familiar with the city. A plot that, like its characters, takes us through time and history.
Okumba Simbou Diane Laure, aged 29, lives in the south of France. She will be attending the Marrakech Book Fair from April 14 to 18, 2012, for a book signing.