Author

I liked Sartre's views but not his writing.

I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.

The power of the word in Morocco belonged to men and to the authorities. No one asked the point of view of poor people or women.

I'd thought sexuality was instinctive or natural, but it's profoundly linked to inner security and cultural context.

I am a Moroccan writer of French expression.

Religion has to stay in the heart, not in politics. It is private.

Emigration is no longer a solution; it's a defeat. People are risking death, drowning every day, but they're knocking on doors that are not open.

My hope is that countries like Morocco will have investment to create work, so people don't have to leave.

In the '70s I was in exile; every time I went back I wondered if they'd take my passport away.

I belong to a specific category of writers, those who speak and write in a language different from that of their parents.

Tahar Ben Jelloun