Marrakech - living in a riad
Photos and text: François Maher Presley
Editor: Rena Dettmann, Stephan Puteick
1st edition February 2013
Hardcover, 164 pages, 21.5 x 115 cm,
approx. 90 images
Price: 10.75 EUR | Order
The riad described here by the author has been sold and is operated as a guesthouse by its new owner.
from the content
The chirping of the crickets, which have nested in the numerous planters on the terrace, replaces the chirping of the birds at dusk. The moon is still in the sky before sunset and prepares the night for the dance of the stars, which can be seen numerous and clearly painting some pictures, not only of dreamy worlds, but also pictures from days gone by, from distant Europe, my real home , Memories that plunge into orange and red with the sunset and gradually fade, accompanying me to sleep, into a peaceful deep sleep in my house in Africa.
Opinions
Here the author lives out his photographic art. You can tell how he soaks up house, city and country in his camera and puts them at the reader's feet. You get an almost unique insight into the world of the "sophisticated" lifestyle in a land of contrasts. Worth seeing and reading. Seduced to travel. E. Braun-Egidius
Elias Canetti first visited Marrakech in 1954. A strange city, unreal for Europeans. With his book "Voices in Marrakech" he created a milestone in travelogues about the city of Marrakech in Morocco. His book was published in 1968. It deals with the foreign culture of this oriental city. The haggling traders, the smell of the food, the sight of the goods in the alleys of the old town where trade, called suk, is done. This description of the impressions is not a travel book in the classic sense with numbers, data and facts, but Canetti inspired with the descriptions of miniatures of atmospheric appearances of an oriental city. That was probably what made this book so successful.
What does this have to do with the current book by the author Francois Maher Presley? A whole lot! His book ties in with the pointed description of life in Marrakech. The atmosphere in the city is wonderfully described. The light, the warmth, the jumble of voices. The atmosphere of a large Arab city within centuries-old walls. The author particularly succeeds in highlighting the difference between the lively life in the alleys and the quiet in the riad, the private home. Here you are only with yourself and your thoughts. These descriptions are very haunting and give the reader a profound feeling of what life is like in this city. Enriched and that is the big difference to Canetti are the numerous, wonderfully successful photos, which impressively support the texts in their intensity. D. Eschrich
