- Yūsuf Fāḍil (1949-, Morocco) – Qiṭṭ Abyaḍ Jamīl Yusīr Maʿī (2011, English trans. A Beautiful White Cat Walks with Me, 2016). Set against the backdrop of a war between Morocco and the Western Sahara in the 1980s, the comic writer and performer Ḥassan in Marrakesh is sent to a far outpost in the desert. Being a critic of the King, Ḥassan suspects that his father, the private jester of the King, has something do to with him being forced out of the city. While the father’s jokes are used to keep the King feeling strong, Ḥassan’s are used to question power (reference). The novel is based on real characters, the jester being Muḥammad Binebine, and real political events (also in O: Occupations, Professions and Hobbies: Comedy).
Refrences:
In order of appearance
- Marcia Lynx Qualey. 2017. “‘A Beautiful White Cat Walks with Me’: The More I Think About it The Funnier it Gets.”, www.arablit.org, 14 March 2017, https://arablit.org/2017/03/14/a-beautiful-white-cat-walks-with-me-the-more-i-think-about-it-the-funnier-it-gets/ (last accessed 19 December 2018)