Tahar Ben Jelloun

Tahar Ben Jelloun is a Moroccan writer and poet known for his French-language works. He gained recognition for his novels The Sand Child (1985) and The Sacred Night (1987), which have been translated into 43 languages.

Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Fes, Morocco. His first language is Arabic. His early education was in a bilingual Arabic-French elementary school. He pursued French studies in Tangier until the age of 18. His academic journey continued at Mohammed-V University in Rabat, where he studied philosophy. Ben Jelloun began writing poetry, with his first collection published in 1971.

His career as a philosophy professor in Morocco included tenures in Tetouan and Casablanca. Seeking to broaden his horizons, Ben Jelloun moved to Paris to study psychology. In 1972, he began contributing to Le Monde, which marked a turning point in his writing career. He earned his doctorate in social psychiatry in 1975.

In 1987, he won the prestigious Prix Goncourt for The Sacred Night. He is the first Maghreb author to receive this honor.

In 2004, This Blinding Absence of Light won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. His work was recognized with the Ulysses Prize in 2005. In 2006, he received a special award for his contributions to peace and friendship at the Lazio between Europe and the Mediterranean Festival.

The French government honored Ben Jelloun with the Cross of Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur 2008. This accolade was presented by then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, marking a high point in his career.

Ben Jelloun is a married father of four children. He divides his time between Paris and Casablanca.

Photo credit: IG @tahar.benjelloun