Awrakby Adellah El ArouiMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
Disclosure:
I got this copy of "Awrak" from the national library in Morocco, and the celebration was a presentation of the works of "Abdellah El Arwi" as a Moroccan historical and theorist, I own a copy of it, the book is written in Arabic.
My Plot:
I was confused whether to classify this book as an autobiography or as a historical investigation, the fact is that the whole story turns upside down to one Character in General. "Idriss" the main Character or the Writer himself in some respect, had been died and left some "Papers" and the burden of his friend was to organize the papers of Idriss and give birth to a story of the Dead Idriss. The beginning of the story start with some recollections of Idriss and the death of his mother, he was obliged to live with his father and mother in law. this passionate boy choose to look for his way, he studied in the Public high school and gets his Baccalaureate, after this hard initiation he choose to complete his studies in France. and from France he continues to write down papers narrating about his experience with life and culture in France as a foreign cultural entity. The Protagonist was devoted to Cinema and most of the time he choose to write down about movies that he washed in France or in Morocco during his life.
Positive and Negative aspects:
Actually the reader will get confused who was the speaker inside the story, that's the main problem I face during my reading of this work, I hardly understand some symbols that the writer used inside this Novel, in addition to the mass references that he implement during his process of writing. Actually I blame the Moroccan analyzers for being so lazy to let this work out of understanding. Sometimes the writer make use of some symbols that are hard to understand their expressing meaning. Even if the work was introduced to a vague audience of Arabic speakers, the writer ignore the possibility that readers may not understand some of the entities used inside his book. Without forgetting the heavy focus of Nationalism of the Moroccan Identity that the writer used so much in his text. Speaking of techniques of writing, the Book was a heavy work full of new techniques in the world of literature, actually it was meant to introduce the new movements of free literature.
My Personal Reaction:
I admit that this was the second time I vote with one out five, or in an expression it was the second book that I would like to punch in the face according to Richard Van Holst. I get really pissed off reading Arabic literature of this kind. Unorganized events, a lot of Flash backs, confusion of who is the speaker inside the story. Actually I may class this book as an unsuccessful try to the new movement of literature. I really feel angry to gossip to the life and the death of an imaginary Character, so summing up all, I generally say that I didn't enjoy the Book at all.
Recommendations:
I would like recommend this book to the lazy Moroccan analyzers who didn't attempt to make a clear copy of this work, Besides I may recommend this book to the so called Fans of New Literary Movement. The book require more understanding so I suggest relying to every single information of it.
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