Marrakech Noir (Akashic Noir Series)

"Armchair travelers will relish this collective look at Marrakech through the eyes of those who know its people and culture well." — Publishers Weekly "As Adnan warns in his charming introduction, this is an unusually joy and humor-filled noir collection, although it also has its share of murders, accidents, abuse, and theft." — Arab Lit , included in "6 New Summer Reads for Beach, Protest, or Plane" " Marrakech Noir , ed. Yassin Adnan, is the third Arab city to join the Akashic Books series, following Beirut Noir and published simultaneously with Baghdad Noir ." — Bulaq (podcast) Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. North Africa finally enters the Noir Series arena with a finely crafted volume of... ebook,book Northern Africa finally enters the Noir Series arena with a finely crafted volume of dark stories, all translated from Arabic and French. Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir . Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Featuring brand-new stories by : Fatiha Morchid, Fouad Laroui, Taha Adnan, Mohamed Zouhair, Lahcen Bakour, Mahi Binebine, Halima Zine El Abidine, Hanane Derkaoui, Allal Bourqia, My Seddik Rabbaj, Abdelkader Benali, Mohamed Nedali, Mohamed Achaari, Karima Nadir, and Yassin Adnan. From the introduction by Yassin Adnan: Only palm trees remember that remote dark past, when highwaymen lay in wait behind their trunks for passing caravans . . . According to some stories, this is where the citys name originated. Over the centuries the name has lost much of its caution and blackness . . . Moroccans today call Marrakech The Joyful City, or simply The Joyful. For the city is pledged to joy. The seekers of happiness and soires head for it. Its nights are well lit and its days are bright. The citys lovers are ready to read every type of story about it except those garbed in black. Even the citys leading authors, the storytellers of Jamaa al-Fana, have always avoided in their fascinating halqas dark tales and stories . . . In all their variety these stories remain rooted in the Moroccan soil. Marrakech, the ancient Moroccan city, the countrys capital of tourism, the city of joy and sadness, the city of simple life, the city linked to the most international capitals through daily flights from its international airport, the city of the new European community, a winter resort for French retirees, and a refuge for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, the city of red nights and sex tourism, the city of the new generation of crimes . . . This unique anthology of crime fiction features 15 original stories of “scandals, smugglers, and other sordid tales” by award-winning Moroccan authors (CrimeReads). At first glance, Marrakech may seem like an odd setting for noir fiction. Contemporary Moroccans call it The Joyful City—a place where locals are happy to joke about gossip and quick to forget stories of crime. But in Marrakech Noir, some of Morocco’s finest authors address old wrong that have been kept hidden behind the city’s ancient gates, and spin contemporary tales of poverty, grift, and violence in this global tourist destination. Marrakech Noir features brand-new stories by Fouad Laroui, Allal Bourqia, Abdelkader Benali, Mohamed Zouhair, Mohamed Achaari, Hanane Derkaoui, Fatiha Morchid, Mahi Binebine, Mohamed Nedali, Halima Zine El Abidine, My Seddik Rabbaj, Yassin Adnan, Karima Nadir, Taha Adnan, and Lahcen Bakour. This Entry In Akashic's Noir Series Takes The Gritty Sensibilities Born Out Of American Film And Fiction To Marrakech.