"The translation is masterful in its accuracy and precision. And it is elegant. It preserves the uniqueness of Meddeb’s rhythms in its prose."—Ronnie Scharfman, author of Engagement and the Language of the Subject in the Poetry of Aimé Césaire
"Throughout this many-layered poetic travelogue, the meanderings of the mind and the city’s 'hedonic architecture' are one. Whether rendering Jemaa el-Fnaa’s organized chaos, the city residents’ sensuous and spiritual communal life, or the refined play of shadow and light in centuries-old mosques, the translation is as luxuriant as Meddeb’s Marrakesh."—Teresa Villa-Ignacio, associate professor of French and translation, Kent State University
"To read Meddeb is to walk in the footsteps of a poet guided by the undulating rhythms of scents and colors, voices and spirits, portraits and shadows. More than a Marrakesh travelogue, this is a mystical journey, a dizzying quest for meaning that breathes memory into fleeting gifts and miracles."—Khalid Lyamlahy, University of Chicago
Description
“On the way to Marrakesh, a superb sunrise, the sun high in the sky.” With this simple yet luminous opening, Abdelwahab Meddeb invites the reader to wander the vibrant streets and sacred sites of this lively city in the heart of Morocco. Returns to Marrakesh chronicles Meddeb’s return visits to the Red City from 1968 through the 1990s, documenting both his personal journey and the city’s transformation across three pivotal decades. Through his distinctive blend of poetic prose and keen observation, Meddeb reveals Marrakesh as a historical crossroads where diverse populations—Jewish and Muslim communities, different social classes, Sufi mystics, and merchants—have created a uniquely multilayered urban space.
Capturing Marrakesh’s sounds, scents, and sights, these vivid travel notes portray a city teeming with life and infused with an intense array of colors. The bilingual edition includes both Meddeb’s original French and its English translation, making accessible the work of one of North Africa’s most important voices.
About the Author
Abdelwahab Meddeb (1946–2014) was a North African intellectual and author of several fiction and nonfiction works primarily in French. Among many other works, he is author of the novels Talismano and Phantasia.
Claudia Esposito is associate professor of French at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is author of The Narrative Mediterranean: Beyond France and the Maghreb.
Laura Reeck is an independent translator and scholar. She is the author of Writerly Identities in Beur Fiction and Beyond and coeditor of Post-Migratory Cultures in Postcolonial France.
May 2026