Salim Jay
Encyclopedia
Salim Jay is a Moroccan
novelist, essayist and literary critic. He was born in Paris
from a Moroccan father and a French
mother. He has written about 20 books, numerous essay
s and more than thousand newspaper articles.
His "Dictionnaire des Écrivains marocains", published in 2005 by "éditions EDDIF (Maroc)" and "Paris-Méditérannée (France)" is a biographical
dictionary
of Moroccan writers who have expressed themselves in French language
. The book has established itself already as a standard reference tool.
from 1957 to 1973. His father was a poet
who wrote in classical Arabic
and was a friend of late king Mohammed V to whom Jay devoted the novel "Portrait du Géniteur en Poète Officiel" (Denoel, 1985). When Salim Jay was fourteen he made his first steps in journalism
. He wrote an article for l'Opinion
, the newspaper
of the nationalist and royalist
Istiqlal Party
. In 1973 he heeded warnings and went into exile
in France
. He would not return for 29 years. He kept contact with his native country through the writings of other Morrocans. Salim Jay has a column in "Qantara", the magazine of the prestigious 'Institut du Monde Arabe' in Paris.
Besides articles on the literature of Morocco, Jay has written on French writers like Michel Tournier
, Henri Thomas
and Jean Freustié
. His own favorite is "101 Maliens nous manquent", 1987, ed. Arcantère.
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...
novelist, essayist and literary critic. He was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from a Moroccan father and a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
mother. He has written about 20 books, numerous essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s and more than thousand newspaper articles.
His "Dictionnaire des Écrivains marocains", published in 2005 by "éditions EDDIF (Maroc)" and "Paris-Méditérannée (France)" is a biographical
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
of Moroccan writers who have expressed themselves in French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. The book has established itself already as a standard reference tool.
Background
Salim Jay lived in RabatRabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
from 1957 to 1973. His father was a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who wrote in classical Arabic
Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic , also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad and Abbasid times . It is based on the Medieval dialects of Arab tribes...
and was a friend of late king Mohammed V to whom Jay devoted the novel "Portrait du Géniteur en Poète Officiel" (Denoel, 1985). When Salim Jay was fourteen he made his first steps in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. He wrote an article for l'Opinion
L'Opinion
L'Opinion is a daily francophone Moroccan newspaper of the Istiqlal party.It is the sister publication of the Arabic language newspaper Al-Alam....
, the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
of the nationalist and royalist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
Istiqlal Party
Istiqlal Party
The Istiqlal or Independence Party is a political party in Morocco...
. In 1973 he heeded warnings and went into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He would not return for 29 years. He kept contact with his native country through the writings of other Morrocans. Salim Jay has a column in "Qantara", the magazine of the prestigious 'Institut du Monde Arabe' in Paris.
Besides articles on the literature of Morocco, Jay has written on French writers like Michel Tournier
Michel Tournier
Michel Tournier is a French writer.His works are highly considered and have won important awards such as the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1967 for Friday, or, The Other Island and the Prix Goncourt for The Erl-King in 1970...
, Henri Thomas
Henri Thomas
Henri Thomas was a French writer and poet.-Life:Henri Thomas was born in 1912 and grew up in the Alsace/Lorraine region of France. He moved to Paris to attend the prestigious Henri IV high school, working with the noted essayist Alain...
and Jean Freustié
Jean Freustié
Jean Freustié, aka Jean Pierre Teurlay was a French writer and literary critic. He won the 1969 Prix du roman de la société des gens de lettres, and 1970 Prix Renaudot, for Isabelle ou l'arrière-saison....
. His own favorite is "101 Maliens nous manquent", 1987, ed. Arcantère.