Portrait of a Moroccan writer: Laila Lalami

Born in 1968 in Rabat, Morocco, Laila Lalami is the first writer to have published in the American literary field. After graduating from University College London, she returned to Morocco and worked as a journalist for the French-language newspaper Al Bayane, where she covered political and cultural events, and wrote a weekly column. In 1992 she moved to Los Angeles and obtained her Ph. D in linguistics at the University of Southern California.
Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post and elsewhere. She is the recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant and a Fulbright Fellowship. She was short-listed for the Caine Prize for African Writing (the "African Booker") in 2006. Laila Lalami, was the co-winner of the British Council Literary Prize 2003 in the category of Short story with a short story entitled "El Dorado". She became the first Moroccan author to publish a novel widely commercialized in the U.S. She started a collection of short stories, "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" that was published in the fall of 2005 and has been translated into several languages.

Yacout Info contacted Mrs. Lalami for this interview

Y.I: Could you please introduce yourself to our readers? 

L.L: I was born in Rabat, to a book-loving, lower-middle class family.  After finishing high school in Rabat, I intended on studying medicine, but I missed the deadline for the exam and ended up majoring in English at Mohammed-V University.  In 1990, I was awarded a British Council fellowship to study Linguistics at University College in London.  After returning to Morocco, I worked briefly for a newspaper before moving to Los Angeles to do a Ph.D. in linguistics, at the University of Southern California. My first book of fiction, "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits", was published in the fall of 2005 and has since been translated into Spanish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Italian and Norwegian.  I also write essays and criticism, and my work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, and elsewhere.  Currently, I am Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside.  My second book, a novel titled "Secret Son", will be published in April 2009. 

Y.I: You write in "Hope and Other  Dangerous Pursuits" about four Moroccans crossing to Spain by boat. Why this subject?

L.L: I think immigration is a subject that touches all Moroccans.  Each one of us has a brother, a sister, a cousin, or a neighbor who has emigrated to Europe, Canada or elsewhere.  I was interested in exploring the physical journey of immigration at its most dramatic, hence the story about a boat journey. I created four characters that are very different from me and enjoyed walking in their shoes, so to speak. I like creating book people! I also think that the process of characterization in some subconscious way involves a journey of personal exploration. When I finished writing the book, I found that in fact I had many traits in common with my characters. 

Y.I: What is the subject of your next novel "Secret Son"? 

L.L: My new novel, "Secret Son", is about a young man from a Casablanca slum who discovers that his entire existence has been a lie—his dead and respectably poor father turns out to be a wealthy businessman who is very much alive. This discovery sets the young Youssef on a journey to find his father, and the truth. The story is set in modern-day Morocco, against a background of corrupt liberalism and Islamic fundamentalism. It explores themes of identity and belonging, whether in a family, in a social group or in a political faction. It also deals with the fraught relationship between facts and truth.

Y.I: How do you think other Moroccan authors can have their works published widely in the US and Europe as you have done? 

L.L: I write in English and live in the States, so it made sense to try to get published here. And then publishers try to translate and publish in other countries.  But the reverse process is hard.  American publishers publish very few books in translation, sadly. 

Y.I: How important for you was wining the British council literary Prize in 2003? 

L.L: This is the first award I received for my fiction and it encouraged me as a fiction writer to continue writing. 

Y.I: You have achieved considerable success in the United States, do you think that American readers respond differently to Morocco than Europeans? 

L.L: American readers know very little about Morocco compared to Europeans.   European readers are exposed to the works of Driss Chraibi, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Fouad Laroui, Abdelkader Benali, among many, many, others.  However, these writers are virtually unknown in the United States because very few books are translated into English in America.  And among those that are published, readers in the U.S. tend to shy away from works in translation.   So until recently, American readers have mostly read about Morocco through the works of Paul Bowles and a few other American or British writers.

Y.I: Do you think increased awareness of Morocco can help build bridges between the West and the East?
L.L: Yes. 

Y.I: Do you have a special message that you can address to our readers?
L.L: Please read widely and frequently! We need to develop a stronger reading culture in our country.