Where The Storyteller Speaks: An Interview with Mohammed Mrabet

This interview presents a vivid portrait of the personal and artistic journey of Moroccan storyteller Mohammed Mrabet, with photographs captured during the encounter. His narration is spontaneous and genuine, creating unscripted tales that unfold like “fish gliding through water.” More importantly, this interview examines Mrabet’s complex yet remarkable collaboration with American writer Paul Bowles, reflecting on tensions around translation, authorship, and linguistic mediation. Mrabet further asserts his authorial voice and creative agency, acknowledging Bowles’s role as a translator who converted his Darija stories into English. Besides defending his authorship, the Moroccan storyteller also clarifies misconceptions about his books’ autobiographical dimension and highlights kif’s role in allowing him a more measured, imaginative storytelling stream. Beyond their artistic value, Mrabet’s stories preserve vital elements of Moroccan intangible heritage, affording a close-up view into Tangier’s daily life and culture. Yet, he shows frustration with waning public interest in oral storytelling and the lack of recognition within Morocco. The interview concludes with Mrabet’s reveal of untranslated stories awaiting preservation and his modest prayer for a peaceful death: a profound contemplation on artistic legacy and mortality.