Rachida Lamrabet publiée dans une anthologie marocaine

Le soir, quotidien marocain d'information générale, sur Anthologie des écrivains marocains de l'émigration (Salim Jay, ed. - La Croisée des chemins, 2010):

"[...] Il y a une troisième catégorie d’auteurs dans le choix de Salim Jay: les auteurs d’origine marocaine appartenant aux «Immigrés de la deuxième génération», les enfants des MRE historiques. Plus nombreux, rebelles et ayant bénéficié des prestations de l’enseignement de leurs pays d’accueil, ils sont plus doués que leur parents. Mais on ne peut les considérer comme des auteurs marocains de l’émigration puisqu’ils sont nés dans leurs pays d’accueil et jouissent tous de la double-nationalité. Parmi ces auteurs, il y a des perles rares. Minna Sif en est une: Française de Corse, d’origine marocaine , au tempérament de feu et au style percutant, une rebelle qui a du talent et les scènes citées dans cette anthologie, où elle décrit son frère, arriviste, voulant à tout prix devenir un «pied blanc», sont un vrai morceau de bravoure. Il y a aussi de belles découvertes à faire, si ce n’est déjà fait, dans la bibliothèque naissante des enfants de la diaspora marocaine. D’abord les Néerlandais qui ont déjà fait parler d’eux dans leur pays d’adoption: Hafid Bouazza, Abdelkader Benali, Saïd El Haji. Ces auteurs, dont les deux premiers sont des espoirs de la littérature néerlandophone du XXIe et Rachida Lamrabet donnent une autre idée de la jeunesse marocaine vivant aux Pays-Bas. Il en va de même pour Najat El Hachimi qui a accédé à la notoriété dès son premier roman au titre superbe «Le Dernier patriarche» qui annonce une oeuvre prometteuse. On constate aussi l’absence de Marocains écrivant en italien. [...]"

Die Zeit praises Rachida Lamrabet

'An interesting new voice in European literature.' Elisabeth Knoblauch's review of Frauenland in Die Zeit hails Rachida Lamrabet as a skillful and daring literary author tackling the big themes of contemporary life in Europe.

Read this review in full.

Heike Baryga translated Rachida Lamrabet's acclaimed debut. The German translation is published by Luchterhand in their collection 'Sammlung Luchterhand'.

'Bitte mehr davon!' (Afrikaroman.de)

'Rachida Lamrabet macht ein gebrochenes Versprechen zum Ausgangspunkt der Identitätssuche einer jungen Frau.' (Die Presse)

'So nah und doch so fern: Belgien und Marokko.' (Berliner Morgenpost)

Rachida Lamrabet en français

Rachida Lamrabet fait partie du groupe d'écrivains choisis et présentés par Abdellah Taïa dans Lettres à un jeune marocain (Seuil). Le livre a été offert aux lecteurs de TelQuel, l'hebdomadaire marocain le plus important.

German rights A child of God (Rachida Lamrabet) sold

(Rachida Lamrabet as seen by photographer Koen Broos.)

The prestigious Luchterhand Literaturverlag (Random House) has acquired the German rights of the book A child of God (Een kind van God) by the award-winning Rachida Lamrabet.

In A child of God Rachida tells ordinary stories about extraordinary people. They cross each other on the bus, in an old people’s home or at a wedding. After briefly meeting they continue their own story. In this surprising book you can feel the heartbeat of countless stories that pass us by and of which we can only assume their existence. Courageously and passionately, Lamrabet wrote a chronicle of joy, atrocity and the unpredictable fate in the metropolis. She writes right from the shoulder. The amazement in these stories evokes an electrifying tension. The atmosphere invoked by Lamrabet, holds fathers who struggle with themselves and a mother who fights with all her heart and soul for her child. The next generation tries to draw a better life from insecurity, ambivalence and humour.

Last year, Luchterhand acquired the rights of Woman Country (Vrouwland), the debut by Rachida Lamrabet. The German translation Frauland will be published in January 2010.

In January, Rachida Lamrabet won the BNG Literature Award for A Child of God. The jury was of the opinion that: "with guts and passion, Lamrabet has written a chronicle of the joy, the horrors and the unpredictable destiny in the city. The astonishment in these stories creates an electrifying tension".

Banipal publishes Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi

The theme of 35th issue of Banipal. Magazine of modern Arab literature is 'writing in Dutch'. The magazine features fragments from Rachida Lamrabet's novel Woman country and from Rodaan Al Galidi's novel Thirsty river.

Banipal is an independent literary magazine, based in London, publishing contemporary authors and poets from all over the Arab world in English translation. It's a magazine for lovers of literature, of world literature, to encourage a wider readership of Arab writers and poets for their own sake, and for both the particularity and the universality of their voices.

Sneak preview: the cover of the German editon of Rachida Lamrabet's Woman country

This beautiful cover is designed for the German edition of Rachida Lamrabet's novel Woman country - to be published by Luchterhand Verlag.

Rachida Lamrabet wins the BNG Literature Award

In January, Rachida Lamrabet won the BNG Literature Award for her collected stories Een kind van god (A Child of God).

The jury was of the opinion that: "with guts and passion, Lamrabet has written a chronicle of the joy, the horrors and the unpredictable destiny in the city. The astonishment in these stories creates an electrifying tension".

The BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs is awarded to authors younger than 40, who have not yet fully broken through.

In 2008, Rachida Lamrabet (1970) also won the Vlaamse Debuutprijs (Flemish Debut Award) for Vrouwland (Woman Country), of which the German translation will be published by Luchterhand Verlag.

Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi shortlisted for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs

(Cover of the Dutch version of Rodaan Al Galidi's second novel Thirsty river, nominated for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs.)

Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi have been shortlisted for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs. This Dutch literature prize is awarded to authors under 40 who have written two or more works of prose.

Rachida Lamrabet is nominated for her second book, a collection of stories called A child of God. After publication Belgian magazine Knack immediately called this book 'a masterpiece'. Lamrabet's debut novel Vrouwland has already won this year's Flemish Debut prize and is in the running for the Dutch Academica debut prize. German rights for Vrouwland have been sold to Luchterhand Verlag.

Rodaan Al Galidi is nominated for his second novel, an amazing family epic called Thirsty river. The novel takes us to the heart of Iraq. The dreams, desires, traditions and experiences of a colourful Iraqi family are shaken up when Saddam comes to power. In Thirsty River Al Galidi follows the fate of this family untill after the death of the dictator. Thirsty River is literature at its best: giving voice to the unknown victims of history.

Coming from Iraq, writer, poet and columnist Rodaan Al Galidi has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. His much-praised poetry collection The fall of Zorro was shortlisted for the prestigious VSB poetry award. His new collection of poetry, The last slave, has been published this week.

The winner of the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs is to be announced on January 15 in Amsterdam.

Woman country: German rights sold to Luchterhand

Luchterhand Verlag has acquired German rights for Woman Country by Rachida Lamrabet. The German translation of this awardwinning novel will be published in Sammlung Luchterhand, a prestigious series of contemporary authors. Sammlung Luchterhand features work by Michail Bulgakov, Nathan Englander, Pablo Neruda, Christa Wolf, Victor Pelevin and Dimitri Verhulst.

Woman Country is Rachida Lamrabet's debut novel. The book has attracted a great deal of interest and was extremely well received. Her second book, a collection of stories called God's child, has recently been published. Already this is hailed as a 'masterpiece' (Knack).

Last month Rachida Lamrabet received the annual prize for the best Flemish debut. Earlier this year Woman Country was nominated for the Selexyz debut prize. The novel has just reached the longlist of the Dutch Academica Debutantenprijs.

Rachida Lamrabet creates in Woman Country a subtle and convincing portrait of a fascinating woman, who, standing firmly by her decisions must pay the social and intellectual price. Mariam, a Moroccan Woman in Antwerp who has chosen a Western lifstyle, embraces her personal freedom, but not without encountering opposition and doubt. At the end of a holiday in Morocco she agrees, without thinking, to marry Younes. For five years he waits for her to return. Meanwhile Faïza hopes that Younes will notice her instead. Finally, deciding to deliver one last desperate letter to Mariam in Europe in person, Younes dies on the illegal crossing to Spain. A survivor carries the letter on to Mariam...

English sample translation available.

Rachida Lamrabet in Brussels

Rachida Lamrabet will take part in the celebrations of the tenth anniverary of Het beschrijf, a literary organisation with its home in Brussels. Lamrabet makes her appearance during a magnificent evening at the KVS-theatre. Other participants include Kader Abdolah, Jens Christian Grøndahl, Thomas Gunzig, Lieve Joris, Rachida Lamrabet, Claudio Magris, Alberto Manguel, Cees Nooteboom, Richard Powers (film) and Peter Verhelst.

For this occasion 'Rachid' one of the stories from Lamrabets second book A child of God has been translated into French.

Woman country nominated for the Academica debut prize

Rachida Lamrabet's debut novel Woman country is on the longlist of the Dutch Academica Debutantenprijs. Nominees are to be announced at the end of November. See also: http://www.academicadebutantenprijs.nl/

Woman Country by Rachida Lamrabet: the best literary debut of 2008!

The flemish award for the best literary debut of 2008 goes to the novel Woman Country by Rachida Lamrabet. This has been announced today by Boek.be, the flemish organisation of publishers and booksellers.

'A remarkably powerful debut novel.'
(De Morgen)

'A unique perspective on our woman-friendly society.'
(Trouw)

Woman Country was published by Meulenhoff/Manteau in the fall of 2007. Earlier this year the novel was also nominated for the Dutch Selexyz Debut Prize.

Rachida Lamrabet (1970) is a Belgian author. She works as a lawyer for the Centre for Equality of Opportunity and Opposition to Racism (Brussels). Woman Country has attracted a great deal of interest and was extremely well received. Her second book, a collection of stories called God's child, has just been published. Already this is hailed as a 'masterpiece' (Knack).

About Woman Country

Resistance or resignation are the only options, or so Mariam the central character in Woman Country believes. A Moroccan Woman in Antwerp who has chosen a Western lifstyle, she embraces her personal freedom, but not without encountering opposition and doubt. The cultural conflicts in Mariam’s life emerge in her tragic story. At the end of a holiday in Morocco she agrees, without thinking, to marry Younes. For five years he waits for her to return. Meanwhile Faïza hopes that Younes will notice her instead. Finally, deciding to deliver one last desperate letter to Mariam in Europe in person, Younes dies on the illegal crossing to Spain. A survivor carries the letter on to Mariam.

To pay her final respects, Mariam goes with her brother to visit the place where Younes’ body was washed ashore. In southern Spain she decides to make the crossing to Morocco. There she faces not only confrontation with Faïza but incomprehension and criticism of her rejection of traditional values and customs. ‘Are you happy?’ a sympathetic aunt asks her. There can be no simple answer.

It is Lamrabet’s convincing interpretation of the characters’ points of view which makes Woman Country so captivating. The novel presents a Moroccan outlook on the differences between Moroccans in Morocco and those who have emigrated; between their own values, which often marginalise Moroccans in Europe, and Western values, including the rampant consumerism that causes such envy in Morocco; between tradition, which so tragically impedes Faïza’s life, and the modern ways of thinking that men find so hard to deal with. Woman Country is how they refer to the West, where they believe emancipated women have taken charge.

Rachida Lamrabet creates above all a subtle and convincing portrait of a fascinating woman, who, standing firmly by her decisions must pay the social and intellectual price. Whether in Morocco, where as a woman on her own she cannot find a hotel room, or in Belgium, where a political party exploits her activism for its own ends, she constantly has to struggle against prejudice. In the cemetery in her native village, filled with melancholy and doubt, she is finally able to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of her choices in life. In Woman Country we are in the hands of a promising writer with a distinctive voice of her own.

English sample translation available.