TALES OF TANGIER, the complete short stories of Mohamed Choukri, translated from the Arabic by Jonas Elbousty, foreword by Roger Allen

246pp., paperback, First English Language Edition, New Haven, 2023

The stories in this collection were originally published in Arabic as Majnûn al-Ward [Flower Crazy] in 1979 and Al-Khayma [The Tent] in 1985.

“Choukri is one of Morocco’s most revered figures ... To have his words translated is to have the privilege to view the inner world of his intellect and the obscured landscapes of Tangier.” Noshin Bokth, The New Arab

“Jonas Elbousty’s vivid, precise, and poetic translation brings to English readers a new cache of work by Mohamed Choukri. At once disorienting, violent, strange, and modern, these narratives both enrich and complicate our understanding of the essential Tangier author.” Brian T. Edwards, Tulane University

After a childhood of poverty and time in jail for theft, Mohamed Choukri (1935–2003) learnt to read and write at the age of twenty. He became a teacher and writer and was eventually awarded the Chair of Arabic Literature at Ibn Batuta College in Tangier. He is the author of the memoir, For Bread Alone, translated from the Arabic by Paul Bowles.

Jonas Elbousty is Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Council on Middle East Studies at Yale University.

Roger Allen is Professor Emeritus of Arabic and Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania.