Book Description
Perched atop the African continent where East meets West, Morocco has been a destination for Europeans and Americans since before the turn of the last century. With its intoxicating mix of Berber, Arab, Spanish, and French Art Deco styles influencing and informing both homes and hotels, this country may be the birthplace of fusion. And as new waves of travelers succumb to Morocco’s charms and make it their home, they have added their own styles to the mix, respecting the roots of Moroccan design, yet altering it in subtle ways.
In
New Moroccan Style, author Susan Sully reveals four emerging trends in this world of design: Delirium, Fusion, Minimalism, and Repose. Each represents a different aesthetic—whether it be the clean, elegant lines of Minimalism or the mingling, sinuous Asian and Islamic notes in Fusion—yet all are distinctly Moroccan. In chapters replete with gorgeous photographs by Jean Cazals, Sully takes readers on an unprecedented tour through private homes, stylish resorts, and intimate guest houses—many never before published.
We visit Dar Tamsna, outside Marrakech, the epitome of Moroccan fusion, and a riad, or courtyard dwelling, that is a meditation in gray and white. Orientalism reigns in a villa in a date palm grove and an old stone house outside of Essaouira has been transformed into a sensually rustic retreat. Sully catalogs both traditional crafts and contemporary arts to show readers how to introduce the beauty and spirit of Morocco into their home décor—as Gogo Ferguson has in her Martha’s Vineyard house.
Entertainment is as much a part of the Moroccan experience as the glorious rugs and intricate furnishings. Complementing the various houses are twenty-five recipes and tips for entertaining Moroccan-style, as well as a comprehensive source guide for travelers and shoppers.
A treasure trove of ideas and images,
New Moroccan Style is a treat for the eyes, palate, and imagination, brought to light by a fresh new voice in design.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not great..........2005-02-15
I confess that I was a bit disappointed by this book. I was hoping for a book about sumptuous Moroccan decorating and living the Moroccan lifestyle. This book really only barely touches on that. The actual focus of the book is concentrated on a few hotels and restaurants located in Morocco but owned mostly by people foreign to Morocco, with the addition of a few homes of wealthy people in the United States who have been somewhat influenced by Moroccan style. This book contains no pictures of the interiors of homes of the average Moroccan citizen at all.
Also, the decorating style advocated in this book is one of an overall Contemporary style with Moroccan influences. In the case of this book, "New" Moroccan Style equals an almost Asian minimalist approach with a few Moroccan handicrafts thrown in. If you're looking for a book with pictures featuring the more well-known "More is better!" Moroccan decorating approach, with layer on top of layer of textile and color, you are bound to be as disappointed as I was. The decorating style featured in this book is very restrained compared to most other books on Moroccan style that I have encountered.
I still give the book four stars overall for content and information. For what the book actually is, it's not a bad book at all. It just isn't exactly what you'd expect it to be, either. The text discussing the origins of Moroccan style, from the Berber influence to Andalusian style, is especially informative. The recipes included in the book, along with pictures, are also a nice bonus.
Gorgeous!.......2004-05-17
This is such a great book! Spare yet sensual interiors, there are ideas for interiors in here that everyone can do. Moroccan interior design is not based on lots of money, or elaborate settings, but rather arranging things you have in unexpected ways - decide what's pleasing to you, and get bold with color!
Amazon.com
A stunning pictorial of architecture and design, Moroccan Style takes us to a hot, dry land bordered on the east and south by the Sahara, on the west by the Atlantic, and on the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Forbidden by the Koran to depict any living part of creation literally, Moroccans have created inventive designs, which are seen in rugs, pottery, woodwork, and especially in the famous tilework zillij. The contrast of warm earth tones with the vivid blue of the sea and sky repeats time and again in the interiors and exteriors of the sumptuous villas presented in Moroccan Style. "Moroccan décor is a sublime balancing act," says author Alexandra Bonfante-Warren. "A harmony of simplicity and elegant profusion."
Steeped in traditional Islamic culture, Morocco is nonetheless a very modern country, and its homes reflect this dichotomy. One home sports a modern brass door flanked by two traditional lanterns. In another, a clean-lined wrought iron and glass dining set is placed in the middle of a palatial outdoor courtyard surrounded by carved white columns. Windows are most often covered with wooden or iron openwork grilles both to block out the bright sun and to add natural ornamentation from the resulting shadows.
The number of intricate patterns used in one room can be overwhelming to the Western eye, but when an elaborately tiled floor is tempered by a dusty saffron wall, the result is both elegance and austerity. A book for those who yearn for a month in Tangiers, Moroccan Style offers a tantalizing glimpse into the distinctive artistry of one of the world's oldest cultures. --Dana Van Nest
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2006-02-26
This book, despite its short length,is packed with great information and ideas. The pictures are beautiful and the text is concise. As an aspiring designer, using this book for a residential project, however-the only drawback is that there are no citations for the furniture, etc.
Enthralling...........2004-03-02
I've owned this book for about a year now and can't get enough of it. The pictures are so vibrant and beautiful, it's become a favorite in my "library". I recently ordered the India Style book and look forward to it's arrival. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in exotic design ideas or if you simply love Moroccan design.
Beautiful!!!!.......2003-02-09
This book is full of beautiful pictures. The book focuses more on the interior of one's home, then in outside structure. You can get ideas for livingrooms, bedrooms, and more. I really love some of the color combinations used. Stunning! Why 4 stars, not 5? I wish the book had more content. The content was wonderful to look at, but the book is definately not thick, and the pictures come to an end too quickly.
Morocco = World.......2003-01-16
Even before I ever dreamed of stepping foot into Morocco, I was in love with its style. Even before I knew it was a style, it bewitched me. Ornate carved tables, ceilings, doorways, and niches surrounded by vibrant draperies, curtains, tableclothes, and throws- these are the earmarks of Moroccan style (North African style might be a better term). Little hidden bits of whimsy and "mountain" style tucked into corners, window sills and hidden, peeking over doors and from under furniture- these are the details of Moroccan style.
All of this appeals to my inner-ongoing sense of style. As a child, the things I completely and without abandon loved- Morocco, and her style, are these things! We all have an innate style within us, things that appeal to us from the time we might first see it, at a young age and then rediscover upon adulthood, and find to our surprise that we still love it, whether it is current, in vogue or the 'it' style. This is Morocco, indeed all of North Africa, to me.
You'll find, among native pieces, tables carved from Syria, candlesticks from Egypt, billowing fabrics from India, Kenya, and beyond. You'll see motifs that have followed humans since time began. A gathered grass/twig broom on a mantlepiece designed in Spain, coarsely styled wooden bowls surrounded by brilliantly gilded tea glasses used by the King himself. You'll find a niche that you swear wasn't there five minutes ago, painted a moving indigo blue, filled with miniature candle holders, filigree jewelry, and carved wooden boxes. You'll walk on floors painted with the same knotwork you saw at the masjid (mosque). You'll walk into a bathroom covered in tiles ceiling to floor, all 15 different colours. One minute you'll think you're in a palace that has been collecting things for hundreds of years, next you'll be in a tiny home that is so small, you cannot understand how its simple design and vibrant colour makes it feel so extraordinarily huge.
Exasperatingly simple Berber rugs lie side by side topped with exquisite, nearly painfully detailed Zemmouri pillows. A large simple brass tray holds a stunning antique teapot. Your host's simple yellow slippers lie next to his wife's lush velour heeled slippers with glittering jeweled toes.
If I cannot be in Morocco on a regular, that is, daily basis, I can at least surround myself with her beauty. Look at this book and suddenly, you can see the Morocco in every piece you have, whether it is from Taiwan, New Jersey, Finland or Indonesia. Every item that comes to Morocco is granted immediate "Morocco-ness" and believe me, once you look through this book and think about all you know that is Morocco, you'll understand. Once a visitor, you'll be able to confer this feeling on every piece you own. With this guide, it won't be hard at all!
Beautiful Photography.......2002-06-11
The photography in this book is breathtaking. I hadn't realized that the book was only 96 pages when I ordered it. I zipped through it so fast - the end comes too quickly. A good inspiration for those interested in Moroccan style.
Book Description
In the tradition of A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun, acclaimed English travel writer Tahir Shah shares a highly entertaining account of making an exotic dream come true. By turns hilarious and harrowing, here is the story of his family’s move from the gray skies of London to the sun-drenched city of Casablanca, where Islamic tradition and African folklore converge–and nothing is as easy as it seems….
Inspired by the Moroccan vacations of his childhood, Tahir Shah dreamed of making a home in that astonishing country. At age thirty-six he got his chance. Investing what money he and his wife, Rachana, had, Tahir packed up his growing family and bought Dar Khalifa, a crumbling ruin of a mansion by the sea in Casablanca that once belonged to the city’s caliph, or spiritual leader.
With its lush grounds, cool, secluded courtyards, and relaxed pace, life at Dar Khalifa seems sure to fulfill Tahir’s fantasy–until he discovers that in many ways he is farther from home than he imagined. For in Morocco an empty house is thought to attract jinns, invisible spirits unique to the Islamic world. The ardent belief in their presence greatly hampers sleep and renovation plans, but that is just the beginning. From elaborate exorcism rituals involving sacrificial goats to dealing with gangster neighbors intent on stealing their property, the Shahs must cope with a new culture and all that comes with it.
Endlessly enthralling, The Caliph’s House charts a year in the life of one family who takes a tremendous gamble. As we follow Tahir on his travels throughout the kingdom, from Tangier to Marrakech to the Sahara, we discover a world of fierce contrasts that any true adventurer would be thrilled to call home.
Customer Reviews:
Fun read.......2007-09-13
If you are the adventurous type with an open mind to other cultures, this is a fun book to read. Tahir Shah describes his new home in Casablanca with dry wit and had me laughing out loud. I learned so much about a culture I knew nothing about, but it isn't a text book, or even travel type of read. The only question my book club members all had was, how did his wife not leave him during the very trying and hilarious remodeling project!
A year of hysterical mishaps in the Casbah.......2007-08-05
I could not put this book down for a minute. In my minds eye I could picture all the characters and their hysterical behavior. What a wild and wacky saga has been told on a par with, but much better than, A Year in Provence. Shah transports you into the mind, smells and sights of the Casbahs and you feel you are there. The characters surrounding him and taking him on this journey are nothing short of fantastic. I alternated between concern for him and the path he was letting himself be led down and absolute joy and laughter in the next instant. I read this as preparation for a trip to Morocco but the real place will never be able to live up to this adventure. Thank you for a fantastic journey.
Don't Pass UP.......2007-03-21
This book has me so obsessed with Morocco, I'm planning a trip to visit. It really fascinates with its portrayls of the MOroccan way of life, which seems quite different from ours.
An Excellent Read.......2007-03-13
This is my 2nd Tahir Shah book. Wow, the guy knows how to weave a fun to read tale. The first book I read by Shah was 'Trail of Feathers', 'The Caliph's House' is nowhere as wild -- but a much more satisfying read somehow. If you've never read any of his books get ready to have a new favorite author.
A Little Gem.......2007-03-09
What a gem of a book. An enlightening insight into another culture particularly poignent in today's world. It was overwhelming to be with our hero as he overcomes obstacle after obstacle to achieve his dream...a beautiful, decayed, centuries-old house near the sea in Casablanca. A less heartier soul would have quit after the first week. I know I would have, but, his persistence allowed him the spacious, artistic life he always wanted.
Against all adversity, he rebuilt the decayed, sprawling Caliph's house and restored it to all its original grandeur employing the local tradesmen and artisans who still used the ancient methods regarding work and attitude!
I was sorry when the year ended...
Book Description
Paul Bowles had already established himself as an important composer when at age 39 he published The Sheltering Sky and became recognized as one of the most powerful writers of the postwar period. From his base in Tangier he produced globally ranging novels, stories, and travel writings that set exquisite surfaces over violent undercurrents. His elegantly spare novels chart the unpredictable collisions between "civilized" exiles and a Morocco they never grasp, achieving effects of extreme horror and dislocation.
This Library of America Bowles set, the first annotated edition, offers the full range of his achievement: the portrait of an outsider who was one of the essential American writers of the last century. In addition to his novels-The Sheltering Sky (1949), Let It Come Down (1952), The Spider's House (1955), Up Above the World (1966)-and his collected stories-including such classics as "A Distant Episode" and "Pages from Cold Point"-they contain his masterpiece of travel writing, Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue (1963). Throughout, Bowles shows himself a master of gothic terror and a diabolically funny observer of manners as well as a prescient guide to everything from the roots of Islamist politics to the world of Moghrebi music. With a hallucinatory clarity as dry and unforgiving as the desert air, Bowles sends his characters toward encounters with unknown and terrifying forces both outside them and within them.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Value!.......2007-03-03
You can read the other detailed reviews, all earning 5 stars, and see why this item is ranked so highly. Three novels all in one nice, hardbound, 900+ pages volume, at a great price. I already had all three in paperback, and still ordered this book. If you love Paul Bowles as I do, or are just beginning to read his work, this is the book to buy.
Interesting, Interesting, Interesting.......2002-10-26
This is my first exposure to the writings of Paul Bowles. What a surprise! The three novels in this edition were written in the late 1940s to mid 1950s. His characters are not at all dated. His writing is clear, and uncluttered. In contrasted to his writing style, are his characters who complex, murky and often compelling. I read straight through from the Sheltering Sky to Let It Come Down to The Spiders House. He is one of the most interesting 20th century American writers. The Library of America has done a wonderful service to readers by ensuring that Paul Bowles will remain in print.
The Sheltering Sky, the first of three novels in this edition, is short, only 250 pages long. It seems to be considered his defining novel. It is about a married couple, Kit, and Port, and their sojourn into the Sahara Desert. They are dishonest with each other about many things, their shaky marriage, and the danger of the trip they have embarked on, fidelity. They cannot take charge of anything, their lives, their marriage, their trip, and even their privacy. The decisions that they make exude with bad judgement. This is exposed early on, when Porter goes off for a walk alone the city. He encounters a stranger, Smail; Port walks off with this stranger, out of the city into the desert to meet and be entertained by a young girl, who he is told is not a [prostitute] but will want to be paid. The characters do dangerous things. You sense their doom with them. And, like them, the reader is compelled to go on. I do not want to give too many plot details as it might spoil the pleasure of reading what I think is an overlooked 20th century classic.
Let It Come Down, is about a bank clerk seeking adventure in Tangier. Like the Sheltering Sky, there is no happy ending here. You can sense the impending doom of the main character as he makes one bad decision after another. He gets involved with a local prostitute, financial intrigue, and in the end, drugs.
The Spiders House starts with a quote from the Thousand and One Nights To my way of thinking, there is nothing more delightful than to be a stranger. And so I mingle with human beings because they are not of my kind, and precisely in order to be a stranger among them. In the wake of the worldwide effects of militant Islamism, this is a fascinating book to read.
The characters include two Americans. The first, Stenham, sees the French colonial rule in Morocco as destructive. He becomes attracted to Islam. The second is arrogant and contemptuous of the locals, the country, just about everything Moroccan. Each is stranger. Each sees and judges the Moroccan people, their culture, and their religion through western eyes. And so, Bowles introduces Amar, a teenage Moroccan boy, who is a direct descendent of the prophet, Mohammed. The boy is illiterate and poor, but not ignorant. The view of the world that each maintains at the beginning of the novel cannot hold. Set in a time of rebellion, there is plenty of plot to keep the characters moving along.
I highly recommend these three novels. This hard cover edition is published by the Library of America. It is the one that you will want to buy, and keep as part of your permanent library.
Finally!.......2002-10-22
I couldn't be happier that the Library of America has released Paul Bowles' three best novels (he only wrote four) in one volume. Previously they were only available in not-so-easy to find small press editions. Hopefully this edition will make them readily available to a wider audience in volume and time.
The most striking thing about Bowles' work is its pace. It moves at a mesmerizing rate. The language is fairly simple but it plods along with a suspensful tension that never lets up even after a climatic moment. It is the kind of fiction to read next to a fountain in a courtyard.
Bowles' characters are almost always out of place, or are where they shouldn't be, or where they think they should be. They become engulfed by cultures that they don't understand not through stupidity or banality but often through the natural course of clashing cultures. Reading the books can give you a feeling of getting lost, and overcome with a feeling that you don't belong, or that you're delving into worlds you aren't prepared to delve into. This is the terror that underlies nearly all of his writing. They are cautionary tales, and they have become more relevant in the past few years since Bowles' death in 1999 (not highly publicized), and the rising relevance of Islam in and to the West.
Bowles is one of the first western writers of fiction that treats Islam equally to European society. Islam is not merely a backdrop in which his characters find fault or get ground up in (i.e., you never get the sense that Bowles is blaming the cultures themselves for the destruction of his characters, typically they are responsible, but it really isn't anybody's 'fault' per se). This is multicultural literature at its best, because it allows nastiness and goodness on all sides. Bowles is not afraid to show the dark sides of Islamic and European cultures side by side, while allowing positive aspects a place as well. He is also never racist towards either side, though some critics have accussed him of this (wrongly, in my opinion).
Bowles is an eye-opener. All three of these novels will make an impact on you and make you think about things you've never thought of before. Thanks again to the Library of America for releasing this collection. Buy it and read it.
Average customer rating:
- Awsome!
- Tiny, unreadable print
- This is an OH WOW, LOOK AT THAT book
- contents
- gorgeous and inspiring
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Moroccan Interiors (Midsize)
Lisa Lovatt-Smith
Manufacturer: Taschen
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ASIN: 3822834785 |
Book Description
This book explores contemporary interiors in the sun-soaked land that stretches from the Sahara to the Mediterranean: Morocco. The diversity is breathtaking: the rural pisé architecture of the south is a far cry from the Hispano-Mooresque ornamental beauty of the imperial cities.
Moroccan interiors are as endlessly varied as the country itself, from the restored palaces in the medina of Marrakesh (where aesthetes of the international set now live) to humble troglodyte fishermen's homes at Sidi Moussa d'Aglou.
The colorful palette of this country and the light there itself suffuse these very different homes with a vitality that is as distinctive to modern Morocco as it is a reflection of contemporary trends in décor worldwide.
Customer Reviews:
Awsome!.......2006-02-06
This book features some very interesting residences. Many of the exotic homes featured in this book are loaded with color and texture. Each property is unique and full of character. The book is fairly large and the photos are awsome and the price was great too!
Tiny, unreadable print.......2006-01-04
Absolutely georgeous photography and Lovatt-Smith has obviously hiked all across Morocco searching for homes. I was most impressed with the variety of homes, especially the cave homes.
I'm sure there is a great deal of useful information in this book, but I gave it three stars because the print was tiny and itallicized. In places where it was superimpossed over sand, water or some other scenery, it was unreadable. Why didn't an editor catch that?
This is an OH WOW, LOOK AT THAT book.......2001-03-09
Preservation or desecration of certain architectural styles and decorative heritage goes in and out of fashion the world over. It's not only Morocco that wanted to demolish the old and over-value the new. How much of the beauty and culture of the East has been lost in the name of "progress"? The situation is not simple, however. In the latter part of the 20th century there was an urgent need throughout the Mediterranean for affordable, modern housing for quickly expanding populations and growing economies strapped for cash, skills and resources. Unfortunately aesthetics and the traditions of artisans often got trampled in the rush. Lisa Lovett-Smith's sumptuous Moroccan Interiors reminds us that embracing preservation has so much to offer the present and the future. While she focuses on the homes of the rich, ex-patriate and famous and could therefore be accused of being elitist, she also illuminates the beauty of the simplest of objects that could be found in any home, rich or poor. Lovett-Smith has divided Morocco into regions and cities and celebrated the best of each, appreciating the exquisite, ornate beauty of Islamic art and the colour schemes reflecting the dramatic terrain of the Mediterranean: desert ochre and blistering reds, turquoise, azure, sapphire, gold, saffron and cinnamon to name a few. Lovett-Smith is aware that a picture tells a thousand words and her accompanying text in several languages is brief. The photography is faultless and the lighting of the interiors unobtrusive. This is not just an ornate coffee table book. It is a valuable archive, a celebration of great style and a treasure trove of inspiration for interior architects, artists and designers.
contents.......2000-05-27
I would like to add to my previous reveiw some more practical notes on the contents of the book. The book is seperated into different regions and cities of Morocco and almost all the homes featured are renovations of delightful, but previously run down, Moroccan palaces and estates. In all but one home the owners are Europeans who have settled, or reside much of the year, in Morocco. This is important because, until recently, the Moroccans themselves weren't much interested in preserving thier architectural history, preferring to knock down old buildings and replace them with new ones. Neither were they much interested in preserving thier own style. The Europeans however were devoted to preserving both and created a movement, over time, within the country for Moroccans to begin to do the same. Each home featured reveals the owners deep love for Morocco and for its history. The photographs are lush and beautiful, and the wealth of ideas for interior design and architecture are matched by few books available today.
gorgeous and inspiring.......2000-05-26
The first time I saw this book I couldn't stop looking at it. I was entirely engrossed with the beauty of the interiors, the use of color, texture and interior architecture in these homes. In a word...MESMERIZED! I should say that the interior design in this book is not my 'style'. It doesn't matter in the least. I have integrated, and plan to integrate, many of the ideas into my own home (Colonial - which couldn't be more different) and have, and will, simply do it in my own way. To add to my point I have shown this book to my mother-in-law who is extremely traditional and conservative in her tastes and she was delighted and inspired. I showed it to my sister, who's taste run to the super modern Italian leather look, and she loved it and plans to use some of the ideas for color in her own home. I showed this to another friend who's tastes are essentially 'the cottage look' (she is very good at it) and she was thrilled with the wealth of ideas she obtained. This book can be used as the ultimate coffee table book or the launching pad for new ideas for decorating your own home. Opening this book is like entering a dream world, where magic and graceful living really do exist.
Book Description
A growing number of people are interested in buying property in Morocco with its ancient towns, coastal resorts and snowy peaks. This North African kingdom boasts 1,400 miles of coastline, year-round sunshine and an open invitation to foreign investment and has seen a sharp increase in the numbers of house-buyers from abroad over the last four years.
Buying a House in Morocco is aimed at anyone seriously considering purchasing a property in Morocco to live in permanently, rent out, or transform to a guesthouse. Extensively researched and informatively written, it will give readers a rich insight into what to expect and how to go about fulfilling their dream for a new home.
Morocco offers an enormous range of housing, from the traditional dars and riads of the medina to the villas, new developments and old Moroccan style farmhouses of the countryside. The regional guide also covers the different types of properties to be found in each region, such as:
>Swiss-style chalets in Ilfrane
>The riads (grand courtyard homes) in Marrakesh
>Elaborate Andalusian villas in Tangier
>Kasbahs in the Draa Valley
In line with the Moroccan government's aim to quadruple tourism to ten million visitors a year by 2010 the appeal to potential home buyers will keep increasing. Approximately $5 billion is being invested in six luxurious coastal resorts including golf courses and luxury villas and on improving the country's infrastructure and accessibility. This spells good news for the letting market, for guesthouse owners and for those who are purchasing homes as an investment.
Book Description
The dilemma of the outsider in an alien society, and the gap in understanding between cultures, recurrent themes of Paul Bowles's writings, are dramatized with brutal honesty in this novel set in Fez, Morocco, during that country's 1954 nationalist uprising. Totally relevant to today's political situation in the Middle East and elsewhere, richly descriptive of its setting, and uncompromising in its characterizations, The Spider's House is perhaps Bowles's best, most beautifully subtle novel.
Customer Reviews:
Exceptional .......2006-11-07
The spider's house, has a very appealing cover, with a equally appealing story. This book surpasses all expectations, and beyond. A historical over view is always illuminating in the backdrop of every conversation, told as if the characters were them selves speaking to the reader or even thinking out loud without any inhibitions.
It's first hand knowledge of the culture, that one can only gain from years of encounters. Paul Bowels, speaks of the Moroccan people as they truly are, the good, the bad, the awful, and their quest for a modern future, that is to bare many flaws.
The French influence, and there cruelty is also vividly detailed, and the reader is left wondering why such history is well forgotten by the new generation. Paul Bowles is not only forgiving but also critical in his judgments regarding the Moroccan people's limited perception of the other.
In all, this book covers the perspective view of every person who is encountered in this book, by that I really mean everyone.
Progress Shmogress.......2006-08-08
Paul Bowles was on a hot streak in the 1950s, and of the 3 novels he wrote between 1949 and 1955 this last one is my hands-down favorite. With each book Bowles seemed to grow more confident in his knowledge of Morocco, and in the gifted teenager Amar he creates his most complete Arab character to date, giving over more of the story to him than to his American hero, the detached expatriate novelist Stenham. The novel is also exciting for the way Bowles managed to map his longstanding concern with the differences between Islam and the modern West onto the explosive political events in Morocco in 1954, when the Moroccan Independence party was fighting a hot terrorist war against the French (sound familiar?)
Bowles sees the Moroccan rebels and the French occupiers as both destroying a traditional Islamic approach to time that enjoys life for the moment and leaves tomorrow to Allah, an attractive alternative to the Western obsession with logic, causality, and progress that keeps us from seeing the present in our frantic rush to the future. Stenham recognizes his own futility in trying to save the old Morocco he loves, and Bowles is more critical here than in some of his earlier writing of his own position as the privileged outsider. In the end, it made sense to me that Amar is a teenager; it's almost as if Bowles wants to keep his charming Moroccans in a state of perpetual adolescence, forever shielded from Coca-Cola, politics, and the secular pleasures of modernity. At the same time, by taking Moroccans on their own terms, sympathizing with their approach to life rather than trying to change it in the name of progress or democracy, he comes closer than I think Americans will be able to for a long, long time to come to understanding the attractions of a very different, and on its own terms very satisfying, approach to life.
Bowles' subtle "Spider's House.".......2004-11-09
I read Paul Bowles' SPIDER'S HOUSE (1954) after first reading his earlier novel, LET IT COME DOWN (1952). In both novels, Bowles insightfully examines the subtle culture gap between East and West. He has drawn the title of his novel from the Koran: "The likeness of those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she taketh unto herself a house, and lo! The frailest of all houses is the spider's house, if they but knew," which is also the novel's epigrah.
THE SPIDER'S HOUSE opens in Fez after World War II, just as the French rule in Morocco is about to be challenged by a fierce Nationalist uprising, and the narrative shifts between an American expatriate writer, John Stenham, and an illiterate, Arab youth, Amar. Whereas Stenham, an existentialist, anti-imperialist, is captivated with the aesthetic, "medieval" traditions still alive in the streets of twentieth century Fez--"It did not really matter," to him "whether they worshipped Allah or carburetors," Amar has his own perspective on the use of religion for political gain by Istigal, the Moroccan nationalists movement. It is through the Moslem insights of Amar that Bowles triumphs as a writer. Amar is the real protagonist of the novel. He is something of a stranger in his own culture, with his own understanding of the events unfolding around him, and he believes he has the ability to see into men's hearts. Although Amar's religious faith tells him that the duty of the believer is to fight the unbeliever to the death, when it comes to the use of violence against fellow Moslems for political reasons, he is less certain. Eventually, the paths of Stenham and Amar cross with unexpected results. Now more than fifty years after its publication, without sentimentality, illusions, or blinders, THE SPIDER'S HOUSE remains relevant with its insights into the culture conflicts between East and West.
G. Merritt
The Huckelberry Finn of Islam.......2004-10-14
I strongly recommend this novel, written in 1954,yet totally alive and relevant to the contemporary reader. I was amazed to see Bowles capture the essence of the clash between the Islamic world view and the Western modern view in such a fresh and insightful manner.
The novel is about the final days of the French occupation of Morocco after World War II. The story is told through the eyes of an American expatriat, Stenham, and then through they eyes of a 15 year old Islamic young man. Stenham, a tired and disappointed writer, has seen the false promise of modernism, and thus is sympathetic to the Moslem determinism and process of living life embedded in faith. Amar, the Moroccan youth, also see those members of the Moroccan nationalists movement, Istiglal, who would use religion for political gain.
The story moves from luxury hotels and modest Moslem homes, to street fights and riots, to Islamic ceremonies high in the Moroccan mountains, to the cafes where Europeans gather to experience a world far different from their own, to the lairs of the subversives who plan to drive the French from Islamic lands.
Like Mark Twain's Huckelberry Finn, the world seen through the eyes of youth allows for fresh observations of the familiar world. Amar is the Moslem Huckelberry, trying to make sense of Europeans and countrymen in a struggle for power.
Yet it is the cultural interaction between modernism and Islam that Bowles captures perfectly. Bowles paints a realistic, honest, sympathetic vision of the Islamic world. The image reveals the weaknesses and barreness that modernism brings. I recommend this book strongly, especially in these times of conflict between the Western world and the world of Islam.
the struggle between knowledge and wisdom.......2004-03-08
This is a very moving look at a particular situation but it is also far more. TSH looks at the problem of progress vs the phenomenon of
faith in a way that is both committed and unflinching. As I have come to expect from Bowles, the story is as captivating as it is intelligent.
Average customer rating:
- A timely and engaging book
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The House in Morocco
Rosalind Brackenbury
Manufacturer: Toby Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
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| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1902881761 |
Book Description
In an old stone house on the west coast of Morocco, Sarah Henderson, an American journalist, is welcomed by its inhabitants after she has split up with her war-correspondent lover. She meets Nick, the aristocratic English owner, Yann the French sailor, Aisha, the mother of Yann's child, and Aziz, with whom she falls passionately in love. The mysterious "man who feeds seagulls" crosses Sarah's path, obliging her to reconsider her own actions and those of her mother, who came to this town in 1936 and was sent home in disgrace. Memory, desire, the conflicting assumptions of different cultures; the meanings we ascribe to events; love and its many faces these are some of the themes of the novel and the realities Sarah has to understand before the keys are taken back from her, the locks changed, and the house is made inaccessible once again.
Customer Reviews:
A timely and engaging book.......2004-02-11
Clearly Rosalind Brackenbury knows her subject well: Moroccan Arab life as seen through the eyes of an American woman. At a time when we all are wondering what makes Arabs tick, Ms Brackenbury places us in their sandals. Aspects of daily life are explored in colorful and compelling detail. In one episode I experienced walking past men in an Arab woman's clothing. This unforgetable cross-cultural journey is rendered with a suble passion that pulled me into the heat of the drama making my heart beat and my breath quicken. Get this book if you want to enjoy yourself while you learn about a neglected culture.
Customer Reviews:
Maxwell illuminates a dark period of history.......1999-10-25
The fact that the first half of this book draws extensively and almost exclusively from the work of Harris, should in no way detract from the achievement of Maxwell. He has presented a very complex period of history, in an accessible and entertaining format. At times it is necessary to remind yourself that not only is this a true story, but that most of the events portrayed took place this century. It is a fantastic account of the power behind the French Protectorate, and a reminder that politics has always been a filthy business. Anyone planning a visit, or who has been to Morocco, especially the Glaoui kasbahs of the High Atlas, should read this book, as should fans of bloody, political intrigue.
Rise and fall of Thami el Glaoui.......1997-11-17
An authoritative account of the rise and fall of the Glaoua bosses of Marrakech. Maxwell presents a factual and entertaining view of this fascinating period in Morroccan history. Essential reading for anyone travelling to the High Atlas.
Product Description
Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Morocco, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with over one hundred thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Morocco, including USAID (over 24,000 pages of reports), Peace Corps, Casablanca, business, U.S. relations, U.S. - Morocco Free Trade Agreement, Diplomatic List, Exercise MedShark, Medflag, agriculture, Arab Maghreb Union, energy, and more. This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. In addition to the nation-specific material, as a bonus we have included reports about every country on the globe, with 271 nations, dependent areas, and other entities identified by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA World Factbook is considered an invaluable "world encyclopedia" reference book. This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 100,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material.
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