Najat El Hachmi
Encyclopedia
Najat El Hachmi is a Moroccan
-Catalan
writer.
. El Hachmi studied Arab literature at the University of Barcelona
and currently resides in Granollers
.
She began writing when she was twelve years old and has continued ever since, first as entertainment, and later as a means to express concerns or to reflect and re-create her own reality, in the (at least) two cultures to which she belongs.
in October 2007, where Catalan culture was the featured guest of honour, she traveled to variousGerman
cities to participate in conferences in which she offered her perspective on contemporary Catalan
literature. El Hachmi has made frequent appearances in the media, including Catalunya Radio, and the newspaper Vanguardia.
In 2008, she won one of the most prestigious award in Catalan letters, the Ramon Llull
prize, for her novel L'últim patriarca (The Last Patriarch). The novel tells the story of a Moroccan
who immigrates to Catalonia
, a sometimes despotic patriarch who enters into conflict with his daughter, who breaks with the traditional values of the old country to adapt to the new, modern culture in which she finds herself.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
-Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
writer.
Life
At the age of 8 she immigrated with her family to Catalonia, SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. El Hachmi studied Arab literature at the University of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and currently resides in Granollers
Granollers
Granollers is a city near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and most densely populated city of the comarca of Vallès Oriental.Granollers is a bustling business centre, and many industries are located there...
.
She began writing when she was twelve years old and has continued ever since, first as entertainment, and later as a means to express concerns or to reflect and re-create her own reality, in the (at least) two cultures to which she belongs.
Career
Her first book, Jo també sóc catalana (I am also Catalan, 2004), was strictly autobiographical, dealing with the issue of identity, and the growth of her sense of belonging to her new country. In 2005, she participated in an event sponsored by the European Institute of the Mediterranean, along with other Catalan writers of foreign descent, including Matthew Tree, Salah Jamal, Laila Karrouch and Mohamed Chaib. During the Frankfurt Book FairFrankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. As to the number of visitors, the Turin Book Fair attracts about as many visitors, viz. some 300,000....
in October 2007, where Catalan culture was the featured guest of honour, she traveled to variousGerman
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
cities to participate in conferences in which she offered her perspective on contemporary Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
literature. El Hachmi has made frequent appearances in the media, including Catalunya Radio, and the newspaper Vanguardia.
In 2008, she won one of the most prestigious award in Catalan letters, the Ramon Llull
Ramon Llull
Ramon Llull was a Majorcan writer and philosopher, logician and tertiary Franciscan. He wrote the first major work of Catalan literature. Recently-surfaced manuscripts show him to have anticipated by several centuries prominent work on elections theory...
prize, for her novel L'últim patriarca (The Last Patriarch). The novel tells the story of a Moroccan
Moroccan
Moroccan may refer to:* Anything of, from, or related to the country of Morocco* Moroccan people* Moroccan Arabic, a language used in Morocco...
who immigrates to Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, a sometimes despotic patriarch who enters into conflict with his daughter, who breaks with the traditional values of the old country to adapt to the new, modern culture in which she finds herself.
Works
- 2004 "" (I am also Catalan)
- 2008 "" (The Last Patriarch)
- 2010