Abdeslam, "Lemon" leaves his family after a new teacher arrives at his school. The bright and rebellious youth finds a home with Bachir, a dock worker, Bachir drinks alcohol and frequents prostitutes. The writing at the beginning of the book is choppy with many short sentences, as Abdeslam matures so does the writing. Overall an interesting look at how a child sees the conflicts between Western and Islamic cultures. ( )

Abdeslam è un ragazzo senza casa che impara la vita per le strade di Tangeri. I vicoli, II mercato, il porto sono la sua scuola; Nei bassifondi, nei caffe' e infine in prigione trova il confronto con l'umanità. Depravazione, ignoranza, violenza lo circondano ma non per questo intende negare a se stesso un po' d'amore. Il breve romanzo è frutto di una narrazione del marocchino Mohammed Mrabet che Paul Bowles ha tradotto. ( )

The Lemon by Mohammed Mrabet
The story of a young, run-away boy who falls in with bad company, told in a simple, mesmerizing style. The dialogue is especially entertaining, the boy, Abdeslam, is ruthlessly honest to the low-lifes around him. Translated by Paul Bowles.

Fascinating and disturbing. A great intro to North African fiction, especially for the many colonial and gender issues explored from a young boy's perspective. The protagonist also has a very strange relationship with his faith.

See also Mrabet's short story, "The Boy Who Set the Fire."

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