The Voices of Marrakesh: A Record of a Visit

Description

Nobel Prize-winning author Canetti spent only a few weeks in Marrakesh, but it was a visit that would remain with him for the rest of his life. In The Voices of Marrakesh, he captures the essence of that place- the crowds, the smells - of spices, camels and the souks - and, most importantly to Canetti, the sounds of the city, from the cries of the blind beggars and the children's call for alms to the unearthly silence on the still roofs above the hordes. In these immaculately crafted essays, Canetti examines the emotions Marrakesh stirred within him and the people who affected him for ever.

Elias Canetti (1905-1994) is best known in the English-speaking world for Crowds and Power, Kafka's Other Trial and for the classic Auto-de-Fe. His family moved from Bulgaria to England, then Vienna, and he settled back in England in 1938. In 1981 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was cited by the Swedish Academy for his 'writings marked by a broad outlook and wealth of ideas and artistic power'.

Canetti's feeling for the Orient is perceptible in The Voices of Marrakesh, a unique travel book -- John Bayley * London Review of Books * Cosmopolitan in the tradition of Goethe * New York Times * ...this book takes on subtle dimensions as it ponders the inner meaning of new experience * Observer * One of his shortest, most beautiful and most approachable works * Independent *