The Bottom of the Jar

by Abdellatif Laâbi, André Naffis-Sahely (Translator)

The Bottom of the Jar is the journey of a boy finding his footing in the heart of Fez during the 1950s, as Morocco began freeing itself from the grip of the French colonial occupation. The narrator vividly recalls his first encounters with the ebullient city, family dramas, and the joys and turbulence of his childhood. He recalls a renegade, hashish-loving uncle, who at nightfall transforms into a beloved Homer, his salt-of-the-earth mother's impassioned pleas to a Divine ear, and his father's enduring generosity. Told in the spirit of a late-night ramble among friends where hilarious anecdotes and poignant recollections flow in equal parts, Laâbi's autobiographical novel offers us a generous glimpse into the formative experiences of a great poet, whose integrity and commitment to social justice earned him an eight-and-a-half year prison sentence during Morocco's "year of lead" in The 1970s.

Genres: Morocco, Africa, 21st Century, France, Memoir, Moroccan

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Arabic: عبد اللطيف اللعبي

Abdellatif Laâbi is a Moroccan poet, born in 1942 in Fes, Morocco.

Laâbi, then teaching French, founded with other poets the artistic journal Souffles, an important literary review in 1966. It was considered as a meeting point of some poets who felt the emergency of a poetic stand and revival, but which, very quickly, crystallized all Moroccan creative energies: painters, film-makers, men of theatre, researchers and thinkers. It was banned in 1972, but throughout its short life, it opened up to cultures from other countries of the Maghreb and those of the Third World.

Abdellatif Laâbi was imprisoned, tortured and sentenced to ten years in prison for "crimes of opinion" (for his political beliefs and his writings) and served a sentence from 1972-1980. He was, in 1985, forced into exile in France.[2]

Reviews

[Nate D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Day to day life in Fez unfolds against a backdrop of 20th century political shifts, expressed with a lightness edged in irony. It's probably quite autobiographical, though the first person narrator vanishes into a third person for a while, so it's not so much a grand narrative as a series of anecdotes and memories, but collectively they paint a fantastic picture of the rhythms of life in mid-century Morocco. Laâbi also employs a great technique of presenting the story in the terms of film edits and techniques (with an aside on the first post-independence president's ban on flashbacks), but besides a late tie-in to a later obsession of the protagonist, this thread is mostly abandoned after the establishing shots. Still, its touches like this that imbue the classical coming-of-age elements with an unusual playfulness and self-reflexivity.

[Essannia Dahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

« ....Ce qui va suivre sera nécessairement en noir et blanc.... »

Dans un style simple, fluide et avec beaucoup d’humour, Abdellatif Laabi nous raconte ses souvenirs d’enfance dans la ville de Fès au début des années 50. Par la même occasion, il nous dépeint le quotidien ordinaire et parfois extraordinaire de la société marocaine d’antan.
Le récit est fait à travers les yeux de Namouss, enfant de 7 á 8 ans surnommé ainsi en raison de son énergie débordante. A travers ses périgrinations, “L’arpenteur émérite “ nous fait promener dans les quartiers de Fès, ses souks et venelles tortueuses grouillant de personnages excentriques « Anges ou diables? Mendiants ou prophètes? » qui fascinent le gamin.
De sa famille nombreuse, on rencontre le père Driss, la mère Ghita, le frère aîné Si Mohamed et la soeur Zhor. Le personnage central étant bien évidemment Ghita, une femme à caractère fort et au parler cru qui n’hésite pas à critiquer le rôle que lui impose la société “ on nous tue avec ce voile” “le ménage c’est moi, le pain à pétrir c’est moi, la lessive c’est moi... » mais ce “féminisme” se volatilise quand elle observe les rapports troublants de son fils et sa belle-fille “Qu’un mari batte sa femme passe encore...Mais que la femme se défende et rende coup par, cela dépasse l’entendement ».

Au fil des pages, les anecdotes, les aventures et les mésaventures de Namouss se succèdent: le mariage du frère, la découverte de l’école et le coup de coeur pour la langue française, le voyage familial à Sidi Harazem, Le mois de Ramadan , la passion pour le cinéma, les jeux d’enfants....etc
Du politique, il y en a forcément dans cette période marquée par la lutte pour l’indépendance. La famille de Namouss , nationaliste mais sans être activement engagée dans le mouvement de résistance, s’y mêlera aussi bon gré mal gré. On a notamment droit à tout un passage relatant moment par moment l’événement mythique qu’était l’apparition de Mohamed 5 sur la lune.

Je reviens sur le style. L’auteur a choisi d’inclure quelques expressions populaires traduites littéralement en français du genre- ils ont “compris leur tête”et “se sont frotté les flancs” ,” verdir nos yeux”, ce qui me faisait marrer à chaque fois.

Je dois avouer que d’habitude , les romans d’enfance quoique charmants au début, finissent toujours par m’ennuyer mais ça n’a pas été le cas avec celui-ci. Il y a tant de passages qui m’ont rappelé des moments précieux de ma propre enfance, ce qui a rendu cette lecture assez spéciale pour moi . Mais même sans cet aspect nostalgique, ça reste un livre que je recommande vivement à toute personne souhaitant apprendre plus sur la culture, les traditions et les moeurs marocaines de ce temps révolu .

[نُهَيلة · Rating 5 out of 5]

إذا مت وكان هذا آخر كتاب قريته في حياتي، فأنا راضية وفرحانة!

[Mabrouki Khawla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is s a good novel because it describes the reality of Moroccan Society During the period of Independence,Abdellatif Laabi is a good Author because he shows up his ability in writing he's Own biography with an advanced Style.I liked This Novel :)

[Mohammed ERRBII · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in Fes, not in the same era though. I can relate to most of what the author describes. The trips to the field in spring and to Sidi Hrazem sources. My mom and Ghita are almost identical in every aspect. The book describes Fes (the experience) very accurately. The book is meant for someone interested in the culture. If so, you found the best source, if you cannot have a real life experience.

[Nabil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chef-d'œuvre de la littérature marocaine francophone !

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tender novel about 1950s Fez through the eyes of the young boy, Nammous.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamy, lovely evocation of life of a young boy in an artisan family in Fez in the 1950's. The political aspect - of the change occurring - is always present but understated. And much of the boy's growing intellectually and within his family could be happening anywhere in the world.