L'enfant de sable / La nuit sacrée

More about the book

Le premier chapitre, « Homme » montre une personne cloîtrée d'elle-même dans sa chambre. Dans le chapitre suivant, un conteur raconte son histoire. Son père désirait un fils, mais n'avait que des filles... The Sand Child (l'Enfant de sable) is a 1985 novel by Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun. First published in France, the novel's message expresses on multiple levels ideas about the post-colonial condition of Morocco while also emphasizing themes relating to the construction of individual identities. It can also be seen as a critique of "traditional" Islamic and Moroccan mores, with specific reference to the position of women. There are strong elements of magical realism in the novel. Ben Jelloun continued the story of Mohammed Ahmed/Zahra in his award-winning 1987 novel, The Sacred Night.