Abdellah Taïa

Abdellah Taïa (* 1973 in Salé ) is a Moroccan openly gay writer and journalist living in exile since 1998, elected in even in Paris.

Life and work

Taïa grew up as one of ten children in Salé. Through his father, caretaker at the city library of Rabat, he became acquainted with the literature. As a teenager Taïa had his first gay experience who confronted him with the " machismo " in Moroccan society. Through a semester in Geneva, he was mid 90 's, the opportunity to leave Morocco.

In 2006 he confessed in an interview with Tel Quel, a Moroccan political magazine, the first Moroccan writer to his homosexuality, which led to massive hostility in his home country.

Taïas books not only report about his life as a gay man in a homophobic environment, but reflect on autobiographical background, the social experience of the 1980s and 1990s, who grew up in Morocco generation.

Taïa also works as a journalist, notably for Le Monde.

Awards

Works (selection)

  • Mon Maroc, narrative. Séguier 2000
  • Le rouge du Tarbouche, Roman. Séguier 2004
  • L' armée du salut, Roman. Seuil 2006
  • Maroc 1900-1960, un certain regard. Actes Sud in 2007 ( with Frédéric Mitterrand )
  • Une mélancolie arabe, Roman. Seuil 2008
  • Le Jour du roi, Roman. Seuil, 2010 dt: The day the King, Roman. From the French by Andréas Riehle. Suhrkamp, ​​Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-518-42295-3
Autobiography Deutschlandfunk Perlentaucher Integrated Authority File
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