In this extraordinary non-fiction novel based on a true story Tahar Ben Jelloun traces the experiences of Salim who in 1971 took part in a failed coup attempt to oust King Hassan II of Morocco With sixty others Salim was incarcerated in a secret prison complex in the Moroccan desert he was to remain there for nearly twenty years In starkly eloquent beautiful prose Ben Jelloun relates the prisoners& experiences as they struggle to survive The son of a witty feckless courtier who disowns him Salim tells stories to keep sane
- from the suras of his beloved Koran to the plot of A Streetcar Named Desire Even in the darkest most terrible conditions sympathy insight the human quest for meaning & understanding never desert Salim The resulting novel is a wrenching yet exquisite celebration of the human spirit & its determination to survive &A masterpiece& Judges of the IMPAC award &a sad & splendid book& New York Times Book Review