Abdelkader Benali

Abdelkader Benali (born 25 November 1975 in Ighazzazen, Morocco) is a Moroccan-Dutch writer and journalist. He has been described as one of the Netherlands' leading writers.^[1]

When he was four years old, he and his family, of Berber background, migrated to The Netherlands and settled in Rotterdam, where his father worked as a butcher. When he was twenty-one his debut novel Bruiloft aan zee (Wedding at the Sea) appeared and was a huge critical and commercial success. It was translated into many languages. He received the 'Libris prize for literature' for his second novel, De langverwachte (The Long-Awaited).

In addition to novels and plays, Benali has published essays and reviews in respected newspapers and magazines including De Volkskrant, Vrij Nederland, De Groene Amsterdammer, Esquire and Algemeen Dagblad. Benali is an avid long-distance runner, his personal record being 2:52:19, achieved at the 2006 Rotterdam Marathon. He also wrote a book about his failed attempt to improve his best result, Marathonloper (Marathon Runner).^[2][3]

Abdelkader Benali masters Dutch, and speaks Berber and English. He is a non-believer, despite his family's Muslim faith and tradition.

Works

• 1996 Bruiloft aan zee (Wedding at the Sea)
• 1999 De ongelukkige (The Unhappy One)
• 2001 Berichten uit Maanzaad Stad (Reports from Maanzaad City)
• 2001 Yasser (Yasser)
• 2002 De Argentijn (The Argentinian)
• 2002 De langverwachte (The Long-Awaited)
• 2003 Onrein, de vader, de zoon en de hond (Unclean, the Father, the Son and the Dog)
• 2003 Gedichten voor de zomer (Poems for the Summer)
• 2005 Laat het morgen mooi weer zijn (May the Weather be Good Tomorrow)
• 2005 Marokko door Nederlandse ogen 1605-2005, verslag van een reis door de tijd (Morocco Seen Through Dutch Eyes 1605-2005, report from a journey through time)
• 2006 Panacee (Panacea)
• 2006 Wie kan het paradijs weerstaan (Who Can Resist Paradise)
• 2006 Berichten uit een belegerde stad (Reports from a Beleaguered City)
• 2006 Feldman en ik (Feldman and I)
• 2007 De eeuwigheidskunstenaar (The Eternity Artist)
• 2007 Marathonloper (Marathon Runner)
• 2009 De stem van mijn moeder (My Mother's Voice)
• 2009 Het museum van de verloren geliefden (The Museum of Lost Loved Ones)

References

• "I migrated to Europe with hope. Now I feel nothing but dread: As the Dutch ban the burqa, one of Holland's leading writers mourns the passing of a welcoming continent". Abdelkader Benali. The Observer. 3 October 2010.
• Europe's complex new fear of immigrants