The Chest

by Mohammed Mrabet

Fiction. Translated from the Moghrebi by Paul Bowles. Mohammed Mrabet's THE CHEST is a book of nine stories and a play that channel the enduring spirit of Islam. Mrabet has written two novels and has published seven books of short stories. Flavored by his native Morocco, Mrabi's stories assume the functioning of magic within the running of daily life.

Genres: Short Stories

98 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1982

About the author

Mohammed Mrabet (real name Mohammed ben Chaib el Hajjem; born March 8, 1936) is a Moroccan author artist and storyteller of the Ait Ouriaghel tribe in the Rif region. Mrabet is mostly known in the West through his association with Paul Bowles, William Burroughs and Tennessee Williams. Mrabet is an artist of intricate, yet colorful, felt tip and ink drawings in the style of Paul Masson or a more depressive, horror-show Jean Miro, which have been shown at various galleries in Europe[1] and America.[2] Mrabet's art work is his own: very loud and intricate, yet comparable with that of his contemporary, Jillali Gharbaoui (1930–1971.) Mrabet is increasingly being recognized as an important member of a small group of Moroccan Master Painters who emerged in the immediate post Colonial period[3] and his works have become highly sought after, mostly by European collectors.[4]

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I brought this book with me when I moved to Morocco in 2001. I wanted to reread it there, to see how it would 'read' in that context. The book 'read' just about the same for me. Any speculations, thoughts, inferences or backstories would have to come from my imagination, solely. Sun rises, sun sets, hamdullelah.

[Indran · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this collection of Mrabet's short stories (and one short play) is about as good as it gets. Mrabet is full of humor, simplicity, mystery, and above all brilliant surprises. I wish I could unread these stories so I could read them again for the first time.