Driss Chraïbi (; July 15, 1926 – April 1, 2007) was a Moroccan author whose novels deal with colonialism, culture clashes, generational conflict and the treatment of women and are often perceived as semi-autobiographical.
Born in El Jadida and educated in Casablanca, Chraïbi went to Paris in 1945 to study chemistry before turning to literature and journalism. His works have been translated into English, Arabic, Italian, German and Russian. He viewed himself as an anarchist, writing on issues such as immigration, patriarchy and the relation between the west and the Arab world.
Life
Driss Chraïbi was born to a merchant family in El Jadida but was later raised in Casablanca. He attended the Koranic school before joining the M'hammed Guessous School in Rabat, followed by the Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca. In 1945 he went to university in Paris, where, in 1950, he earned a degree in chemical engineering. After obtaining his degree, he abandoned science before the doctorate. Instead, he earned his living from a string of odd jobs, before turning to literature and journalism.
A page turns with the death of his father in 1957. The writer, in exile in France, went beyond the revolt against his father and established a new dialogue with him beyond the grave in Succession ouverte ( 1962), translated as Heirs to the Past.
Death
He died in Drôme, France., where he had lived since 1988, and was buried in the Shuhada Cemetery, Casablanca, Morocco, near his father's grave, thus fulfilling his last wishes. He took with him to the hereafter the secret of the last book he was working on.
Literature
Driss Chraïbi published a number of novels which were written prior to and after Morocco's independence from colonial rule. As a result of this, his works were faced with extreme controversy with some going as far as to name him a traitor. His works often were based on the political events and can be used as a symbol of resistance to the French.
Chraïbi's most famous work was his debut novel Le Passé simple, published in 1954 at the heart of the fight for independence. This work was considered the most controversial work of the Generation of 52 and in turn was faced with heavy criticism and even threatened with death by the Democratic Independence Party (PDI). This controversy was because, unlike other Moroccan authors of the time, this novel attacked the Moroccan patriarchal society as much as it attacked the French colonial rule. Whilst Chraïbi denies the fact that the main character is himself, there are several parallel between the two. The novel explores the theme of identity as the protagonist struggles between his Moroccan heritage and the French colonial impact and education. Importantly it is written 2 years before Morocco gained its independence, therefore it was at the height of the struggle for independence.
La Civilization ma mère was another one of his novels, published in 1972 then later translated into English as Mother comes of Age which was published in 1984. It portrays the role of Arab women whose role in society is restricted to that of wife and mother. However, the novel is not limited to this, the novel has a powerful message for women's rights as the mother gains political, economic and social knowledge as she urges her sons. Then, she becomes a powerful spokesperson and an educator.
Chraïbi's later works provide more reflective views. An example of this is in his novel The World Next Door. Despite criticism of the west, particularly their colonial rule, throughout his novels he still understands the benefits of the freedom allowed in the west. For authors like him, there is complete freedom to publish and contest in western countries, something he knows is beneficial. Chraïbi's works were supported by former French President François Mitterrand who had personally thanked him for writing in French.
Awards
He was awarded the Prix de l’Afrique Méditerranéenne in 1973, the Franco-Arab Friendship Award in 1981.
- From All Horizons (1958). Title in French : De tous les horizons.
- The Donkey (1956) L'âne, and The Crowd (1961) La Foule; both confront the inadequacies of the newly independent Third World countries, as well as the failings of European civilization.
Bibliography
- Danielle Marx-Scouras, A literature of Departure: The Cross- Cultural Writing of Driss Chraïbi, Research in African Literatures, 23:2, pgs 131- 144, 1992.
- Hoda El Shakry, The Literary Qur'an; Tense Eruptions in Driss Chraïbi's Le passé simple, Fordham University Press, 2019.
- Hamid Bahri, Civilization and Otherness: The Case of Driss Chraïbi, Journal of Arts and Humanities, 3:1, 2014.