In Praise of Defeat
Morocco

In Praise of Defeat

by Abdellatif Laâbi

Freedom & Resistance Poetry 2017

Summary

Spanning six decades of writing, In Praise of Defeat is a powerful collection tracing the evolution of one of Morocco’s most important contemporary poets. Through poems shaped by political imprisonment, exile, love, and the struggle for human dignity, Abdellatif Laâbi confronts the brutality of authoritarian power while insisting on the possibility of hope. His early works carry the urgency of protest, bearing witness to censorship, torture, and the silencing of dissent. Later poems become more intimate and reflective, exploring tenderness, family, spirituality, and the fragile beauty of everyday existence. Yet resistance remains at the heart of his work: for Laâbi, poetry is not an escape from reality but a way of confronting it without surrendering one’s humanity. Moving between anguish and joy, political defiance and personal vulnerability, these poems celebrate the courage to continue creating even in the face of defeat. The collection ultimately suggests that failure need not mean surrender—and that preserving one’s capacity to love, imagine, and speak freely is itself a form of victory.

Reviews

Login to leave a review.

No reviews yet. Be the first!

You might also like

A Life Full of Holes
A Life Full of Holes
Driss ben Hamed Charhadi
Farewell Tangier
Farewell Tangier
Salma El Moumni
The Bottom of the Jar
The Bottom of the Jar
Abdellatif Laâbi
The Rule of Barbarism
The Rule of Barbarism
Abdellatif Laâbi
Country
Morocco
Africa
About the author
Abdellatif Laâbi
Abdellatif Laâbi

Abdellatif Laâbi (born 1942) is a Moroccan poet, novelist, translator, and political activist whose work has made him a leading voice in Francophone North African literature. Born in Fez, Morocco, he became involved in the country’s cultural and political movements during the 1960s. In 1966, he co-founded Souffles, an influential literary journal that challenged colonial legacies and advocated radical cultural renewal. The Moroccan authorities banned the journal in 1972, and Laâbi was imprisoned for his political beliefs. He spent eight years in prison, where he endured torture and continued to write. Released in 1980, he later went into exile in France. His writing combines political resistance with reflections on love, memory, spirituality, and human solidarity. Among his many honours, he received the Prix Goncourt de la poésie in 2009 and the Grand Prix de la Francophonie in 2011. His work remains a testament to literature’s power to resist oppression and defend human dignity.

View author page
Details
Published
2017
Author
Abdellatif Laâbi