Author Mohamed El Morabet presents 'Un solar abandonado' at the Three Cultures Foundation
The Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation will welcome one of the most interesting authors on the current scene, Moroccan Mohamed El Morabet (Al Hoceima, 1983), who will present his first novel, 'Un solar abandonado' ("An abandoned plot of land" - Sitara Publishing House), whose peculiarity is that it was conceived entirely in Spanish.
This detail would not be so striking if we were in Great Britain, the United States or France, where there are numerous examples of acclaimed writers who decided to publish in the language of their adopted land instead of their native language. However, in Spain there are hardly any cases and the few that do exist are usually concentrated in Catalonia, such as those of Najat El Hachmi or Laila Karrouch, authors of Moroccan origin who create in Catalan.
For this reason, Mohamed El Morabet has been said to "represent the avant-garde of the literature to come" (in the words of the writer and journalist Sergio del Molino) and 'Un solar abandonado' is his calling card. It tells the story of Ismael Atta, a translator who moves from Madrid to Al Hoceima, his home town, to attend his grandmother's funeral, a return to the past in which the protagonist realises that the enthusiasm under which he began his journey is no longer there. It is an initiatory novel", explains the author, "it is the journey of a frustrated translator through his readings, his music, his stories..., who eventually becomes a writer".
Beyond the story it tells, however, this work is full of nuances, from the importance of tobacco (as a measure of time for the protagonist) to the friction it poses between the individual and the collective, and a structure based on what the author calls "a fragmented novel, with a mobile story and a static part".
Born in Al Hoceima, Morocco, in 1983, he moved to Madrid in 2002, where he has lived ever since. He has a degree in Political Science and regularly contributes to several cultural magazines and supplements.
After the publication of 'Un solar abandonado', his first novel published by Sitara, there has been no shortage of comparisons with fellow Moroccan author Mohamed Chukri, not only because of their common origins but also because Chukri read and wrote fluently in Spanish. Our way of writing is totally different," says El Morabet, "although there is something I do share with him; our way of setting ourselves challenges.
The author will be accompanied during the presentation of his book by another writer and traveller, Eduardo Jordá. This event will take place on November 28 at 12:00 at the headquarters of the Three Cultures Foundation, with capacity limited according to current restrictions. It is therefore necessary to register through the foundation's website (www.tresculturas.org). In addition, you can follow it live through the Youtube channel of this entity.
