The Voices Of Marrakesh: A Record Of A Visit

Well-priced

I’ve stayed in Marrakech eight times and I never get bored of it. Being passionate about history and married to a local, has made me very curious and intrigued to know more about my husbands culture and the city he grew up in. When I came across this book in a list of other works written about or set in Morocco, I decided to get it because it was a personal account and experience of a traveller, set in the 1940s. This book is very entertaining and an easy read. Elias Canetti is a wonderful writer. His observations, descriptions, thoughts and feelings about his experiences are not only insightful, witty and hilarious, they are also profoundly moving, deep and thought provoking .

I wish I had read this before my recent visit to Morocco. Canetti gently instils a flavour of Marrakesh without resorting to fact overkill. It is a short book - which is not a criticism. It is the sign of a good writer to be able to say a lot in few words. I particularly enjoyed his sorties into the mellah, where now only ghosts of those occupants reside. His descriptions of the way animals are treated are hard to read, but still, I'm afraid, true. He also leaves some food for thought regarding the French colonial era. If you are planning a trip to Morocco, read this book before you go.

Elias Canetti was in Marrakesh 50 years ago, but his diary-style pieces about his few weeks there are as valid today as they were then. It makes for a smooth and congenial read (as one might expect from a Nobel Literature prize winner) and conveys a real sense of this lively (now touristy) city. I recommend it to anyone planning a visit. A gem, and I was glad I discovered it.

A slim book yet an interesting read, that sets the scene and conjures up the feel, sights and flavours of Marrakech

Brief colourful snippets of a bygone age in Marrakesh; which resonates still