Driss Chraibi, 80, Moroccan Novelist
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Driss Chraibi, a Moroccan novelist who wrote about Islam, colonialism and the treatment of women in his homeland, died Sunday in France, according to the Moroccan state news agency. He was 80.
Born in a small town near Casablanca on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, Chribi moved to Paris in 1945 to study chemistry. He wrote in French, his adopted tongue.
Chraibi worked as a chemical engineer, night watchman and laborer before publishing in 1954 his first novel, “Passe Simple,” an autobiographical work attacking Islam and the treatment of women in Morocco’s taboo-laden society. He went on to write 18 more novels, most dealing with colonialism and memories of Morocco.
“He was the first writer I read as a child who created Moroccan characters that were believable,” said Laila Lalami, whose own “Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits” chronicles Moroccans’ attempts to make the dangerous sea crossing to Spain in search of work.
Chraibi received numerous awards for his writing at home and abroad. His body will be brought back to Morocco for burial.
