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Following my recent trip to Marrakech, this post for the LMG Book Club is a selection of books to inspire you to visit Marrakech.
Books to Inspire You to Visit Marrakech
The Voices of Marrakech by Elias Canetti
Nobel Prize-winning author Canetti spent only a few weeks in Marrakesh, but it was a visit that would remain with him for the rest of his life. In The Voices of Marrakesh, he captures the essence of that place: the crowds, the smells – of spices, camels and the souks – and, most importantly to Canetti, the sounds of the city, from the cries of the blind beggars and the children’s call for alms to the unearthly silence on the still roofs above the hordes.
In these immaculately crafted essays, Canetti examines the emotions Marrakesh stirred within him and the people who affected him for ever.
The Saffron Trail by Rosanna Ley
After the death of her beloved mother, Nell travels from rural Cornwall to the colour and chaos of Marrakech. Her marriage may be on the rocks, but exploring the heady delights of Moroccan cuisine could help her fulfil her dream of opening her own restaurant.
It’s there she meets Amy – a young photographer trying to unravel the story behind her family’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The two women develop a close friendship and discover a surprising connection between their own pasts.
This connection will take Nell and Amy on a journey to find their own ‘saffron trail’ – from the labyrinthine medina and bustle of Moroccan bazaars all the way back home to Cornwall and to the heart of their families’ origins.
Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
Julia, a beautiful young idealist, travels to Morocco with her two small daughters, intent on finding an alternative to the stultifying conventions of English life.
Unable to settle upon a suitable lover let alone one of the many spiritual paths on offer, she allows her children to roam the streets and bazaars unchecked. Her daughters, however, would like nothing more than the simple ordinary life their mother seeks to escape in this hot, arid land.
A Year in Marrakesh by Peter Mayne
Having learned to appreciate Muslim life while living in Pakistan, Peter Mayne settled down to live in the back streets of Marrakesh in the 1950s. Rather than watch from the shelter of a hotel terrace, he rented rooms, learned the language, made friends, and became embroiled in conspiratorial picnics, hashish-laced dinners and in the enchantments and misunderstandings of the street, with its festivals, love affairs, potions and gossip. By turns used, abused and cherished by his neighbours, Mayne wrote their letters for them and captured the essence of their lives in this affectionate and hilarious account.
The Last Storytellers by Richard Hamilton
Marrakech is the heart and lifeblood of Morocco’s ancient storytelling tradition. For nearly a thousand years, storytellers have gathered in the Jemaa el Fna, the legendary square of the city, to recount ancient folktales and fables to rapt audiences.
But this unique chain of oral tradition that has passed seamlessly from generation to generation is teetering on the brink of extinction. The competing distractions of television, movies and the internet have drawn the crowds away from the storytellers and few have the desire to learn the stories and continue their legacy.
Moroccan tales have a huge educational, religious and moral impact on their audience, offering timeless values and guidance to all who listen. With their passing we risk losing something of Morocco’s national psyche and also part of the world’s tangible heritage.
Those who have listened to the storytellers at Marrakech first-hand have witnessed something that is no longer part of this world, a treasure as precious as the planet’s most endangered species and of immeasurable importance to humanity.
Have you read anything that inspired you to visit a particular place, or rekindled lost memories of a previous trip?
Let me know in the comments.
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I read ‘Zoya’ by Danielle Steel 25 years ago. Made me want to visit St Petersburg and the Winter Palace.
‘Wanderlust’ was another good fiction travel book of her’s.