When an architect writes fiction..
“In praise of madness” is the title of the new book edited by the Moroccan architect Alaa Halifi, and published by the prestigious Lebanese publishing houses Al-Rafidain and Daraj Editions. The book recently won the last edition of the international prize Al-Rafidain First book Award in Lebanon. According to the jury, the power of the book lies in its strong ability to 'dive deep into the worlds of Casablanca'.
Its main protagonist is the city of Casablanca, ‘In praise of madness’ spirals from reality to fiction and then back again all over its 280 pages, it is depicted through the perspective of multiple fictional and real characters, plotting a series of true and imaginary events in the city, from marginalized communities, fallen angels, immigrants, underground lives, and even an alien visiting the city from outer space, Halifi brings a fantastical Casablanca to life, full of madness and chaos, he used fantasy, surrealism and irony to discuss some real issues as alienation, sexuality and death.
Selected among 200 literary works, "In praise of madness" is the first Moroccan work to win this prize. The book breaks with traditional literary forms and themes, in an attempt to present a new vision of the contemporary Arabic novel. According to Iraqi writer and critic Falah Rahim, president of the jury, the wining book presents Casablanca and its citizens with a very refined style, and an extremely throughout-out narrative mechanics, eager for innovation. the book also opens new horizons of research and experimentation with literary forms and storytelling techniques."
The book "was also characterized by paradox, suspense, intertextuality, historical and mythological inspirations. All of this is in fact skillfully orchestrated and worked without straying from its context, a society of individuals lost in an uncertain world full of contradictions".
“In praise of madness” is published by Al Rafidain & Daraj Editions in Lebanon, it is currently available all over the world, and also online at Abjjad platform, and will be available in other languages in the future
According to the jury, the power of the book lies in its strong ability to 'dive deep into the worlds of Casablanca'.
“This is a praise for the praise of madness, a pure celebration of the art of narration and the art of making a fictif architecture of amazement, and a golden key to a wondrous world whose features fascinated our eyes from afar, and we are still on its outskirts...”
- Ahmed Haded, Author and critic from Egypt.
The prince of Casablanca
“A city,” wrote British town planner and polymath Patrick Geddes, “is more than a place in space. It’s a drama in time.”
Casablanca — celebrated by colonial architects as a laboratory for visual and architectural experimentation and long-romanticized by Hollywood — is a quintessential example of such urban spectacle.
Striding through its streets with a palpable sense of familiarity and pride, you might come across young author and architect Alaa Halifi. He wrote the book, In Praise of Madness (مديح الجنون) , the only Moroccan work to receive the Al-Rafidain First Book Prize. Distinguished by the judges for its “deep dive into the worlds of Casablanca,” Halifi said he wrote the book to “reflect the complex reality of my city” and “shed light on the marginalized and chaotic part of the city’s underworld,” by putting on paper things that he and his generation see every day of their lives. The result is a book that fuses reality with fantasy, a vision for the city as it is, but also for what it could become.
Ken chitwood, Ph.D., is an American religion scholar and award-winning religion, travel and culture writer. He is the author of The Muslims of Latin America and the Caribbean (2021).