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“The Court Jester”
November 29, 20187:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In French and Spanish with simultaneous translation
Moroccan writer and visual artist Mahi Binebine is presenting his latest work, published by Alfaguara, at Casa Árabe in Madrid.
Also taking part in the event is Eduardo Madina, a politician. It will be presented by Pilar Álvarez (Alfaguara) and Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Politics Coordinator.
Mohamed ben Mohamed has spent his entire life at his king’s feet, day and night, showing loyalty and fondness. In a palace where luxury and fear run equally rampant, where jealousy is rekindled as night falls, and one can be harshly punished for no reason whatsoever, the court jester has to reinvent himself every day to remain the favorite and show signs of an unwavering loyalty to keep his position. When his own son takes part in a coup d’état against the sovereign, his whole world comes crashing down. Forced to disown him, pretend he does not exist and pay no attention to his whereabouts for nearly twenty years, he must face the despair and contempt of his wife and children. Is there any other way to save them, though?
Presentation information sheet
Mahi Binebine (Marrakesh, 1959). Binebine studied Mathematics in Paris but later decided to take up painting, sculpture and literature professionally. Some of his works form part of the permanent collection at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, a city where he resided for several years. His brother Aziz’s arrest for participating with a group of young officers in the failed coup d’état against King Hassan II and his brutal imprisonment marked Binebine’s life deeply. His first novel, Le Sommeil de l’esclave (The Slave Girl’s Sleep), earned him the Prix Méditerranée award. It was followed by Les Funérailles du lait (The Mortuary of Milk), L’Ombre du poète (The Poet’s Shadow), Cannibales (Welcome to Paradise), Pollens (Pollen) (French-Arab Friendship Award), Terre d’ombre brûlée (Burned Umber Earth), Le griot de Marrakech (Tales of Marrakesh), Les Étoiles de Sidi Moumen (Horses of God) and Le Seigneur vous le rendra (God Will Reward You). Acknowledged with the Arab Novel Award in 2010, Horses of God was made into a film by director Nabil Ayouch awarded with the “Espiga de Oro” at the 57th edition of the International Cinema Week in Valladolid and the François-Chalais Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Mohamed ben Mohamed has spent his entire life at his king’s feet, day and night, showing loyalty and fondness. In a palace where luxury and fear run equally rampant, where jealousy is rekindled as night falls, and one can be harshly punished for no reason whatsoever, the court jester has to reinvent himself every day to remain the favorite and show signs of an unwavering loyalty to keep his position. When his own son takes part in a coup d’état against the sovereign, his whole world comes crashing down. Forced to disown him, pretend he does not exist and pay no attention to his whereabouts for nearly twenty years, he must face the despair and contempt of his wife and children. Is there any other way to save them, though?
Presentation information sheet
Mahi Binebine (Marrakesh, 1959). Binebine studied Mathematics in Paris but later decided to take up painting, sculpture and literature professionally. Some of his works form part of the permanent collection at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, a city where he resided for several years. His brother Aziz’s arrest for participating with a group of young officers in the failed coup d’état against King Hassan II and his brutal imprisonment marked Binebine’s life deeply. His first novel, Le Sommeil de l’esclave (The Slave Girl’s Sleep), earned him the Prix Méditerranée award. It was followed by Les Funérailles du lait (The Mortuary of Milk), L’Ombre du poète (The Poet’s Shadow), Cannibales (Welcome to Paradise), Pollens (Pollen) (French-Arab Friendship Award), Terre d’ombre brûlée (Burned Umber Earth), Le griot de Marrakech (Tales of Marrakesh), Les Étoiles de Sidi Moumen (Horses of God) and Le Seigneur vous le rendra (God Will Reward You). Acknowledged with the Arab Novel Award in 2010, Horses of God was made into a film by director Nabil Ayouch awarded with the “Espiga de Oro” at the 57th edition of the International Cinema Week in Valladolid and the François-Chalais Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
