Description
This is the true story of Aziz BineBine who, unwittingly entangled in a failed coup against King Hassan II, found himself locked in a small, underground cell in a prison thought to be a mere horror story: Tazmamart. For 18 years, no one knew where the prison's inmates were. No one knew if they were even alive. In many ways, they hardly were: confined for 24 hours a day, with the barest rations, no hygiene or medical help, and accompanied by cockroaches, scorpions, and tarantulas. One of the few to survive, Aziz writes not only to tell his own remarkable story but to remember and honour the men that lived - and died - alongside him. Against the backdrop of this unimaginable suffering, Aziz shows the strength of the human spirit to keep going against all the odds, to smile in the face of misery, and to forgive rather than condemn. Set to become a cult classic of survival literature, Tazmamart is a hellish journey through the abyss of despair - and out the other side.
Winner of the English Pen Award 2020. Banipal review confirmed The Spectator review confirmed New Welsh Review review confirmed Irish Examiner review confirmed ArabLit Quarterly review confirmed Morocco World News review confirmed European Literature Network review confirmed
About the Author
Azine BineBine is a Moroccan author and former army officer. He completed his secondary education within the French lycee system and then entered the Royal Military Academy. Appointed as an instructor to train cadets at Ahermoumou Military School, he was unwittingly involved in the 1971 coup d'etat against King Hassan II. Judged and condemned, BineBine spent 18 years in Tazmamart prison. He lives in Marrakech. Lulu Norman is a writer, translator, and editor who lives in London. She has translated Albert Cossery, Mahmoud Darwish, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and the songs of Serge Gainsbourg and written for national newspapers, the London Review of Books, and other literary journals, in particular Banipal, the magazine of modern Arab literature, where she is an editorial assistant and regular contributor. Her first book translation, Mahi Binebine's Welcome to Paradise (Granta, 2003) was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, and her translation of Binebine's Horses of God (Granta, Tin House 2013), won an English PEN award, was selected for World Literature Today's "Seventy-five Most Notable Translations," shortlisted for the BTBA and the IMPAC, and also and runner-up for the Scott Montcrieff Prize. Her cotranslation with Ros Schwartz of Tahar Ben Jelloun's About My Mother comes out in October with Saqi Books.
Reviews
'A beautifully composed memoir that chronicles twenty years of death and degradation in a secret state prison that yet also reads as the spiritual pilgrimage of an ascetic. It is a historical document too, formed from BineBine's compassionate testimony of the loves and aspirations, childhood memories and adult ambitions of those buried at Tazmamart, be they rebel officers, innocent careerists, young idealists or well-connected courtiers, condemned to a prolonged act of royal vengeance in the aftermath of two failed military coups.' (Barnaby Rogerson); 'Aziz BineBine spent 18 years in the now infamous secret prison of Tazmamart in the Moroccan desert, and it took him a further 18 years to write about it. His chronicle about his fellow prisoners, most of whom died, is both terrible and generous; BineBine wanted to pay homage to the dead, rather than the survivors.The unspeakably brutal years are punctuated by his love for literature, his faith, and empathy for his fellow prisoners. His account joins the ranks of timeless prison literature and is a rich testimony of astounding human resilience.' (Olivia Snaije); Lulu Norman's fine translation brings alive this firsthand account of brutality, injustice and survival. (Michele Roberts); 'The hellhole of Tazmamart--Morocco's notorious secret prison--has been the crucible for many a searing story. Aziz Binebine's account is one of the finest: forensic in its detail of the sheer horror of the place, with flashes of pure poetry and deep humanity in his own tale and that of his fellow inmates. Storytelling during his long years in Tazmamart kept Binebine alive; his book will keep readers engrossed--and aghast--from start to finish.' (Shereen El Feki, Author, Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World); 'When you read this true story, in which both horror and humanity mingle, you will realise that the truth is sometimes far worse than the most unlikely imaginings. This is a detailed account of Tazmamart, one of the worst political prisons in world history. King Hassan II of Morocco and his collaborators built it to quash the people's will to resist despotism, but this book proves the opposite. It shows that human resilience is more powerful. As BineBine puts it so well, the only cause of all this suffering and this long struggle for survival was that, one day in 1971, Fate's finger was pointed at him. This book is both a thriller and a song to the glory of the human that resides in each of us. It's a cry of despair against the evil of men. But no matter how sombre his words, the writer has no lack of humour or humility.' (Maati Monib, historian, journalist, and human rights activist in Morocco); 'The poignant testimony of Aziz BineBine is of rare interest, testifying very preciously to what is called in Morocco "the years of lead". Knowing already the book in its initial version in French, I find its translation of a real finesse, and very faithful to the original.' (Abdelmajid Benjelloun, Moroccan author, historian and poet); For all the suffering, this isn t a depressing book. On the contrary, it is compulsively readable and even uplifting, because the lesson BineBine imparts is one of love and dry-eyed compassion. Faultlessly translated by Lulu Norman, Tazmamart is a deeply moving testament to the strength of the human spirit. - --Jason Goodwin, The Spectator; The book s call for dignity, justice, and transparency for the accused remains deeply relevant today. - Johanna Sellman, Assistant Professor, Ohio State University --ohanna Sellman, Assistant Professor, Ohio State University
Awards
Winner of English Pen Award 2020.
Book Information
ISBN 9781912208883
Author Aziz BineBine
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint Haus Publishing
Publisher Haus Publishing
Winner of the English Pen Award 2020. Banipal review confirmed The Spectator review confirmed New Welsh Review review confirmed Irish Examiner review confirmed ArabLit Quarterly review confirmed Morocco World News review confirmed European Literature Network review confirmed
About the Author
Azine BineBine is a Moroccan author and former army officer. He completed his secondary education within the French lycee system and then entered the Royal Military Academy. Appointed as an instructor to train cadets at Ahermoumou Military School, he was unwittingly involved in the 1971 coup d'etat against King Hassan II. Judged and condemned, BineBine spent 18 years in Tazmamart prison. He lives in Marrakech. Lulu Norman is a writer, translator, and editor who lives in London. She has translated Albert Cossery, Mahmoud Darwish, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and the songs of Serge Gainsbourg and written for national newspapers, the London Review of Books, and other literary journals, in particular Banipal, the magazine of modern Arab literature, where she is an editorial assistant and regular contributor. Her first book translation, Mahi Binebine's Welcome to Paradise (Granta, 2003) was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, and her translation of Binebine's Horses of God (Granta, Tin House 2013), won an English PEN award, was selected for World Literature Today's "Seventy-five Most Notable Translations," shortlisted for the BTBA and the IMPAC, and also and runner-up for the Scott Montcrieff Prize. Her cotranslation with Ros Schwartz of Tahar Ben Jelloun's About My Mother comes out in October with Saqi Books.
Reviews
'A beautifully composed memoir that chronicles twenty years of death and degradation in a secret state prison that yet also reads as the spiritual pilgrimage of an ascetic. It is a historical document too, formed from BineBine's compassionate testimony of the loves and aspirations, childhood memories and adult ambitions of those buried at Tazmamart, be they rebel officers, innocent careerists, young idealists or well-connected courtiers, condemned to a prolonged act of royal vengeance in the aftermath of two failed military coups.' (Barnaby Rogerson); 'Aziz BineBine spent 18 years in the now infamous secret prison of Tazmamart in the Moroccan desert, and it took him a further 18 years to write about it. His chronicle about his fellow prisoners, most of whom died, is both terrible and generous; BineBine wanted to pay homage to the dead, rather than the survivors.The unspeakably brutal years are punctuated by his love for literature, his faith, and empathy for his fellow prisoners. His account joins the ranks of timeless prison literature and is a rich testimony of astounding human resilience.' (Olivia Snaije); Lulu Norman's fine translation brings alive this firsthand account of brutality, injustice and survival. (Michele Roberts); 'The hellhole of Tazmamart--Morocco's notorious secret prison--has been the crucible for many a searing story. Aziz Binebine's account is one of the finest: forensic in its detail of the sheer horror of the place, with flashes of pure poetry and deep humanity in his own tale and that of his fellow inmates. Storytelling during his long years in Tazmamart kept Binebine alive; his book will keep readers engrossed--and aghast--from start to finish.' (Shereen El Feki, Author, Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World); 'When you read this true story, in which both horror and humanity mingle, you will realise that the truth is sometimes far worse than the most unlikely imaginings. This is a detailed account of Tazmamart, one of the worst political prisons in world history. King Hassan II of Morocco and his collaborators built it to quash the people's will to resist despotism, but this book proves the opposite. It shows that human resilience is more powerful. As BineBine puts it so well, the only cause of all this suffering and this long struggle for survival was that, one day in 1971, Fate's finger was pointed at him. This book is both a thriller and a song to the glory of the human that resides in each of us. It's a cry of despair against the evil of men. But no matter how sombre his words, the writer has no lack of humour or humility.' (Maati Monib, historian, journalist, and human rights activist in Morocco); 'The poignant testimony of Aziz BineBine is of rare interest, testifying very preciously to what is called in Morocco "the years of lead". Knowing already the book in its initial version in French, I find its translation of a real finesse, and very faithful to the original.' (Abdelmajid Benjelloun, Moroccan author, historian and poet); For all the suffering, this isn t a depressing book. On the contrary, it is compulsively readable and even uplifting, because the lesson BineBine imparts is one of love and dry-eyed compassion. Faultlessly translated by Lulu Norman, Tazmamart is a deeply moving testament to the strength of the human spirit. - --Jason Goodwin, The Spectator; The book s call for dignity, justice, and transparency for the accused remains deeply relevant today. - Johanna Sellman, Assistant Professor, Ohio State University --ohanna Sellman, Assistant Professor, Ohio State University
Awards
Winner of English Pen Award 2020.
Book Information
ISBN 9781912208883
Author Aziz BineBine
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint Haus Publishing
Publisher Haus Publishing
