Read your way through Tangier

The many facets of Tangier have long inspired writers. Here, Moroccan-born novelist Laila Lalami introduces readers to the books and writers she thinks best capture the city.
ImageCredit...Raphaelle Macaron
First, a disclaimer: Tangier is not a place you visit once. It will charm you, surprise you, make you want to watch, then see again. Or at least that's how it is for me.
The first time I visited the city was when I was a child, when my family there was spending summer vacation — swimming, fishing and sightseeing. I still remember the pleasure of meeting the local dialect, more musical than the one we spoke in the capital, Rabat; the terror of getting lost in the Souk Dakhli while my parents were shopping; and the awe I felt when I saw the opening of the caves of Hercules.
Later, Tangier became the landscape that inspired my first short story collection, "Hope and the Others Dangerous Pursuits. It was where my husband and I spent birthday weekends, and the last place I saw my father before he passed away. The city holds some of the most meaningful memories I have of my country, which is perhaps why I have continued to return year after year.
What should I read before packing?
It is impossible to capture the extraordinarily rich history of Morocco in a single volume. Depending on your interests, you may enjoy "Dreams of Trespass", by feminist intellectual Fatema Mernissi, who recounts his youth in Fez in the 1940s; "Memories of Absence", by Aomar Boum, which explores how four generations of Muslims from southern Mar oc remember their Jewish neighbors; or "Le Maroc noir", by Chouki El Hamel, which tells the story of slaves from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

World Nov 23, 2022 0 49 Add to Reading List

The many facets of Tangier have long inspired writers. Here, Moroccan-born novelist Laila Lalami introduces readers to the books and writers she thinks best capture the city.

First, a disclaimer: Tangier is not a place you visit once. It will charm you, surprise you, make you want to watch, then see again. Or at least that's how it is for me.

The first time I visited the city was when I was a child, when my family there was spending summer vacation — swimming, fishing and sightseeing. I still remember the pleasure of meeting the local dialect, more musical than the one we spoke in the capital, Rabat; the terror of getting lost in the Souk Dakhli while my parents were shopping; and the awe I felt when I saw the opening of the caves of Hercules.

Later, Tangier became the landscape that inspired my first short story collection, "Hope and the Others Dangerous Pursuits. It was where my husband and I spent birthday weekends, and the last place I saw my father before he passed away. The city holds some of the most meaningful memories I have of my country, which is perhaps why I have continued to return year after year.

What should I read before packing?

It is impossible to capture the extraordinarily rich history of Morocco in a single volume. Depending on your interests, you may enjoy "Dreams of Trespass", by feminist intellectual Fatema Mernissi, who recounts his youth in Fez in the 1940s; "Memories of Absence", by Aomar Boum, which explores how four generations of Muslims from southern Mar oc remember their Jewish neighbors; or "Le Maroc noir", by Chouki El Hamel, which tells the story of slaves from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century.