Mohammed Said Hjiouij

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this pastiche. Is it intended to be funny, satirical, absurdist, punk SF, "magic realism", erotic-splatter-horror, avant garde, an anti-religious spoof, or just bizarre ?

I did like the title. And the fact that it can be read in one sitting. And the chapter headings, which reference, for no discernible reason, "Hero With a Thousand Faces", "The Man in the High Castle", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "The Dead Zone" (presumably Stephen King), "A Thousand and One Nights", and "Brave New World",. among much else. That elicited a smile, anyway.

Beyond that, there are references to faqihs, zabibat al-salah, sixth-century Arabic poetry, devotion-obsessed bartenders, a parade of pseudo-Rabelaisian bedroom romps, and, strangely, halfway through, Harry Potter. And of course, Kafka's giant insect, transformed into a monkey. Is this an obscure reference to racism ?

The best thing that can be said about it is, it reads like a rough draft that needs some work. Well, a lot, actually. But I admire the author's bravery in putting this weirdness out there.

Afterthoughts: mulling it over, I think I have a better idea of what bugs me about this. It is the apparent insensitivity in dealing with the Kafka theme. Had there been no reference to Kafka, this would not have been an issue. To me, one of the joys in encountering Kafka is that no matter how strange the contents, the approach is slow, gentle, intricate, subtle and humane. He is an enormously skilled observer. This, on the other hand, is very un-Kafka-lilke, in that it is something of an indiscriminate onslaught on the senses, moral and ethical as well as perceptual.… (mais)

This literary short story "Kafka in Tangier" by Mohammed Said Hjiouij invites us to read "revisited" Kafka's "Metamorphosis", with real pleasure! The author was inspired by this famous short story, and reinterpreted the theme of the staggering transformation of a man who sleeps, and wakes up in the skin of a monster.

The short story sets the scene in Tangier, nowadays, where the hero Gregor Samsa, knows the same family and professional setbacks as those depicted in Kafka: become the only breadwinner, following the brutal and unexplained forfeiture of his father, he exercises two professions. Totally disillusioned, he is entirely dependent, however married, but... "under the control" of his father, his mother, his sister and his wife, who all live together.

This fictional and literally haunting story features protagonists of the Muslim faith in North Africa. The author takes care to depict for us the customs of the Moroccan High Atlas, to the port of Tangier, a former Spanish colony. Everything is there! The colors, sounds, language, traditional prayer, weave the canvas of a tale, already approached by Kafka, but from another angle!

The hero, so proud to belong to the noble lineage of a Prophet, and pure Berber, nevertheless finds himself totally submissive and powerless to react, faced with the hostility shown by his father especially.

From his metamorphosis into a repulsive insect, he identifies himself so much with the animal, that he adopts his behavior and his thoughts... of an insect!

As in Kafka's novel, here the same pernicious workings of society take shape - attacking a model employee for a simple delay - The true nature of each of the actors in the book is revealed, crescendo, in an incredible way! Beneath polished appearances, each carefully conceals the engine that slyly drives them! I loved!

It is after having put on this mask, which the beast represents, that Gregor Samsa, paradoxically, frees himself! He can, at last, be Himself, under the guise of repugnant ugliness.

The epilogue thunders like a roar of thunder!
Very clever, the one who will get out of there, unscathed!

Read it! Unforgettable modern version of Metamorphosis!… (mais)

An interesting short novel that follows the trajectory of Kafka’s Metamorphosis but transferred to a complex household in Morocco. Instead of turning into an insect like Gregor Samsa, Jawad the protagonist here, turns overnight into an ape. I wasn’t sure if this alluded to passages in the Quran where men are turned into monkeys as a punishment, but it’s clear from the regular references to the stench of his room and other habits that he is regarded as filthy by the rest of his family. As the story unfolds it becomes clear, however, that it is not Jawad who is in need of punishment but his wife (who immediately leaves) and his father. His sister too has an interesting story. Forced to leave university by her father, then abandoned by her boyfriend her full destiny is not revealed until the very end. With regard to Jawad, his story presents a number of ambiguities, summed up in the conventional phrase from 1001 Nights (footnoted at the end of the book) “there was, or there wasn’t,” & for me, some of the questions remained unresolved. Although the ending came rather suddenly this was an enjoyable read.… (mais)