The Simple Past

“Driss Chraïbi’s first novel, The Simple Past, was as important to Maghrebi writers as Camus’s The Stranger. It is a book that speaks with force, precision, and truth, reaching beyond the borders of Morocco to attain a universal significance. It stands in rebellion against backward traditions, against social and religious conformity, and against the father, their symbol. It is in rebellion against the French language, in which Driss would always write and which he superbly enriched.” —Tahar Ben Jelloun

“A book of unforgettable intensity, sharpness, and ferocious critical intelligence, The Simple Past mingles French and Arabic and possesses an incantatory lyricism and a rhythm that are all its own. The music of storytelling is matched with a physicality and a nervous energy of expression that cries out with both sorrow and laughter.” —Pierre Assouline 

“One of the most distinguished writers of his generation.” —Mustapha Hamil, Review of Middle East Studies