L'enfant de sable

I have begun reading one of the novels situated here in Morocco that I hope to study with my AP French students next year. The title of this novel is L'enfant de sable (The sand child) by the well-known Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun. He has won many awards for his writing, both poetry and fiction. I look forward to reading his work and sharing it with my students.

This story touches on questions of identity and culture as it tells the tale of an 8th daughter raised as a son because the family had no son. I think it evokes many of the contradictions between traditional and modern perspectives of culture, sexuality, and self.

As part of my fellowship, I plan to visit many of the places that figure prominently in his stories and poetry so I can bring his writing "alive" for my students. Having read the first chapter of this novel, I can already tell that he spins a beautiful tale full of imagery and common human experiences. I particularly like that this novel is told through the voice of a conteur (storyteller) in a very traditional North African style. Poetic and lovely!