Meeting at the Intersection of Literature, Language, and History

Community College Humanities Association

A Critical Reading of Tahar Ben Jelloun’s This Blinding Absence of Light (Cette aveuglante absence de lumière)

<p>Presenter: Sean Geraghty</p><p>Tahar Ben Jelloun is an acclaimed francophone novelist of Moroccan descent. His 2001 novel This Blinding Absence of Light (Cette aveuglante absence de lumière) provides a fictionalized historical narrative inspired by experiences of soldiers imprisoned for two decades following a botched assassination attempt against the Moroccan King Hasan II and the failed coup targeting his government in 1971. This presentation will weave a critical reading of the novel with a brief history of Hasan II’s reign, the coup attempts he survived, and the closing of the notorious prison at Tazmamart in the Moroccan desert. Additionally, Ben Jelloun’s novel will be considered in the context of a long-standing debate among African intellectuals regarding the use of European languages in African literature. In this context, Ben Jelloun’s use of Frenchwill be juxtaposed with arguments by Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o to promote African fiction written in indigenous languages.</p>

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Meeting at the Intersection of Literature, Language, and History

More events from Community College Humanities Association

Discover more events from Community College Humanities Association, from Community to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.

Meeting at the Intersection of Literature, Language, and History

More events from Community College Humanities Association

Discover more events from Community College Humanities Association, from Community to other experiences you might love.

More Community events

Browse more Community events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.