The Life of Butterflies
Youssef Fadel
The Life of Butterflies attempts to fill gaps left in the history books with its account of the 1972 attempted coup in Morocco and subsequent events. Set in Casablanca, it begins with Salem, a singer, being asked to read the official statement of the coup on the radio, after he had arrived to record a song. Events are divided according to the days of the week with each day given a special title. The novel explores how power works and offers in-depth psychological portraits of its characters, whose destinies are interwoven.
Publisher
Al-Mutawassit
Nomination
2021 Longlist
Youssef Fadel
Country of origin Morocco
About the author
Youssef Fadel is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter, born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1949. During the so-called ‘Years of Lead’ in Morocco, he was imprisoned in the notorious Moulay al-Sheriff prison between 1974 and 1975. He has published a number of plays and novels. His first play, The Barber in the Poor District, was made into a film directed by Mohamed al-Rakab in 1982. His novel Hashish (2000) won the Grand Atlas Prize in 2001.