2010 has been a promising year for Moroccan literature. Amazing Moroccan poet Mohammed Bennis, the founder of the House of Poetry, was awarded, during the Kairaouan festival in Tunis last Thursday, the Maghreb Culture Prize for his commendable achievements in literature. The award was presented by Tunisian President Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali.

         Mohammed Bennis

Mr. Bennis authored over twenty books of poetry, prose, essays, and translation. He was the recipient of numerous international awards, notably the Prize of Calopezzati of Mediterranean literature in 2006.

On January 12, 2010, Abdellatif Laabi became the second Moroccan to receive the Prix Goncourt honoring his life achievements. Laabi was jailed for eight years in the seventies for his poetry and the literary magazine - Souffles - he created and edited.

            Abdellatif Laabi

The bulk of his poetic work is phenomenal. His poetry is included in high school and college curriculums in France and Spain. In a recent interview, during the Casablanca Book Fair, he bemoaned the fact that Morocco's education ministry deemed his poetry and prose unsuitable.

Source: cabalamuse.wordpress.com