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Interview with writer Fatima Daas

November 22, 20216:00 p.m.
ONLINE
Casa Árabe’s YouTube channel. 6:00 p.m.
In French, with Spanish subtitles.

To mark the publication of her book, “The Last One” (“La petite dernière”), writer Fatima Daas traveled to Madrid, where we got the chance to interview her. We will be posting the interview on our Youtube channel on the upcoming date of Monday, November 22. 

Fatima Daas was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France in 1995 . Her parents, originally from Algeria, settled in Clichy-sous-Bois. She grew up in that small town, in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, surrounded by a large family. She was rebellious at school, claiming the right to express her ideas and write her earliest texts. At high school, she took part in writing workshops led by Tanguy Viel. Encouraged by the writer and her French teacher, she enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Literary Creation at the University of Paris 8. She defines herself as an “intersectional feminist.” “The Last One” is her first novel.

About “The The Last One”
My name is Fatima Daas. I am the “mazozia,” the youngest daughter, the last one. My father was hoping I would be a boy. I am French, but of Algerian origin. I’m a practicing Muslim. A girl from Clichy who spends more than three hours a day on public transportation. I’m a tourist. A neighborhood girl who observes Parisian behaviors. I’m a liar, a sinner. As a teenager, I was an irregular student. As an adult, I am highly maladapted. I write stories to avoid living my own. I’ve been in therapy for four years. It’s the longest relationship I’ve had. Love was a taboo subject at home, along with expressions of affection and sexuality. I think I’m in favor of polyamory. When Nina came into my life, I had no clue what I needed or what I was missing. My name is Fatima Daas. I’m named after a symbolic character in Islam. It’s a name that can’t be degraded. In my house, to degrade means to dishonor. I don’t know if I’m worthy of my name.