I rencontre interview I encounters interview I مقابلـة لقــاءات
Ali Bécheur,
the master of pen letters
I rencontre interview I encounters interview I مقابلـة لقــاءات
األخري كتابك عن قليال حدثنا
٠٠»األمس تلت «أيام
إىل قت ر ّ تط الكتاب هذا خالل من
أال ،املعيش الواقع هيم موضوع
Born in Sousse in 1939, Ali Bécheur - a lawyer at the Tunis Bar – could be proud to be
among those who started in legal studies and ended up being reputed authors, just
like Dickens and Kafka, and the list is so long. Nothing but his passion for letters made
novelist Bécheur be one of the Tunisian francophone best-sellers with eight novels,
including “Le paradis des femmes” (2006) which earned him to be shorlisted at the « Prix des
Cinq Continents de la Francophonie » as well as at 2006 Comar d’Or in his homeland. His
latest novel “Les Lendemains of d’hier”, published by Editions Elyzad won the national prize
2018 Comar d’Or.
احلاكية تبدأ ٠األجيال رصاع وهو
عهد يف بتونس 20 القرن بداية يف
القرن هذا لعبور ومحتلنا ،امحلاية
حاكية أيضا يه ٠واملعقد الزاخر
أب بني ومحشونة متوترة لعالقة
املتناقضة املشاعر من كثري ٠وابنه
كنّانه ي ُ
الذي
احلب
حقبة اكنت لقد
رمغ
تتداخل
البعض لبعضهام
،تني زتم
م ُ أحيانا ٠٠الصامتني اآلباء
حشيحو مه ،قساة األحيان أغلب ويف
أبناهئم مع احلوار ويعتربون العاطفة
LG: Tell us about yourself.
AB: I studied law in my father’s footsteps, who absolutely wanted me to
be a lawyer like him. i however did not find a true career fulfilment, so I
quit and became a law professor for a decade. Had it not been the period
of turmoil caused by strikes and students coshing during Bourguiba’s
term, teaching would have been enough as it was interesting, challenging
but fun as well. But it financially was not enough to make a living, so I had
to put my court dress back on. LG: Who are your favourite novelists?
AB: I really like Gabriel Garcia Marquèz’s writing style in “Hundred Years
of Solitude”, his narrative style that accurately describes each and every
situation. I like highly metaphorical writings as they convey emotions from
characters to readers through images. Metaphors evoke associations
readers have wih the words used which help them better imagine what the
author is conveying. Just like filmmakers make emotions visual, novelists
use letters to connect with readers.
LG: How did you start writing novels?
AB: I’ve always loved writing - as far back as I can remember - but