The Bottom of the Jar
Morocco

The Bottom of the Jar

by Abdellatif Laâbi

Coming of Age Memoir 2013

Summary

Set in Fez during the 1950s, as Morocco struggles to free itself from French colonial rule, The Bottom of the Jar is a richly textured portrait of childhood, family, and a city on the threshold of transformation. Through the eyes of a young boy discovering the world around him, Abdellatif Laâbi evokes the bustling streets of the old medina, the colourful characters who inhabit them, and the intimate dramas unfolding behind closed doors. At the centre of this world is the boy’s family: a generous father, a formidable mother whose passionate prayers and sharp wit fill their home, and an eccentric uncle whose love of hashish and storytelling turns him into a kind of Homer after dark. Humorous, tender, and occasionally heartbreaking, the novel captures the contradictions of a society caught between inherited traditions and the promise of independence. Drawing on the author’s own childhood, it celebrates the imagination and resilience of ordinary people while exploring how political change reshapes private lives.

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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.

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Details
Published
2013
Author
Abdellatif Laâbi