Transnational Series: Abdellah Taïa with Benoit Landon

Join the and the for an in-store event with writer and filmmaker Abdellah Taïa to discuss and honor the release of and . He will be in conversation with journalist and librarian Benoit Landon.

A story in praise of a woman, a fighter, a survivor from the award-winning French-Moroccan novelist known for humanizing North Africa’s otherwise marginalized characters.

Living in Your Light chronicles three moments in the life of Malika, a Moroccan countrywoman, from French colonization to the death of King Hassan II. It is her voice we hear in Abdellah Taïa’s stunning new novel, translated by Emma Ramadan, who won the PEN Translation Prize for her translation of Taïa’s last novel, A Country for Dying.

Malika’s first husband was sent by the French to fight in Indochina. In the 1960s, in Rabat, she does everything possible to prevent her daughter Khadija from becoming a maid in a rich French woman’s villa. The day before the death of Hassan II, a young homosexual thief, Jaâfar, enters her home and wants to K*ll her. Malika recounts with rage her strategies to escape the injustices of History. To survive. To have a little space of her own. Malika is Taïa’s mother: M'Barka Allali Taïa (1930-2010). Living in Your Light is dedicated to her.

And Salvation Army, now a feature film directed by Taïa, is an autobiographical coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Taïa's life with complete disclosure—from a childhood bound by family order and latent (homo)sexual tensions in the poor city of Salé, through an adolescence in Tangier charged by the young writer's attraction to his eldest brother, to a disappointing arrival in the Western world to study in Geneva in adulthood.

In so doing, Salvation Army manages to burn through the author's first-person singularity to embody the complex mélange of fear and desire projected by Arabs on Western culture. Recently hailed by his native country's press as “the first Moroccan to have the courage to publicly assert his difference,” Taïa, through his calmly transgressive work, has “outed” himself as “the only gay man” in a country whose theocratic law still declares homosexuality a crime. The persistence of prejudices on all sides of the Mediterranean and Atlantic makes the translation of Taïa's work both a literary and political event.

Born in Rabat, Abdellah Taïa is the author of several books including Salvation Army, An Arab Melancholia, and A Country for Dying, among others. His most recent novel Le bastion des larmes was shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt 2024 and won the Prix Decembre 2024. His first film, Salvation Army, was selected for the Venice Film Festival and TIFF, and received the Grand Prix at the Angers European First Film Festival, as well as the Sundance Institute Global Filmmaking Award in 2016. His second feature film, Cabo Negro, will be released in 2025. His short film, Cairo Streets, has been officially selected at the 2025 editions of the Locarno International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the New York International Film Festival.

Moderator Benoit Landon began his career in Paris, where he lived and worked for over a decade. Since moving to the United States in 2021, he has served as a librarian at the French Library, where he runs a monthly book club and hosts author talks. He has had the opportunity to speak with Éric Chacour, Sophie Divry, and Étienne Kern, among others. As a journalist, he focuses on contemporary literature, writing monthly book reviews and interviewing writers such as Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers. You can find Benoit on Instagram @benoit.usa.fr, where he shares his literary passions.

The French Library

Located in a historic mansion in Boston’s Back Bay, the French Library is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution dedicated to sharing the richness of French and Francophone cultures with the broader community. While rooted in French tradition, they celebrate global cultures and foster cross-cultural understanding through language, literature, and the arts. Home to the largest private collection of French books, periodicals, and DVDs in the U.S.—and part of the Alliance Française network—their library and language school serve curious minds of all ages. From lectures and film screenings to concerts, culinary events, and exhibitions, their dynamic cultural programming welcomes everyone, with many events offered in English. Discover where oui can take you: www.frenchlibrary.org.

The Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith

The Transnational Series focuses on stories of migration, the intersection of politics and literature, and works in translation and is supported by the independent bookstore Brookline Booksmith. Subscribe to the Transnational Series newsletter for information on upcoming events, book recommendations, and more.

What You Need to Know to Attend

RSVP to let us know you're coming! RSVPs don't guarantee a seat, but you'll be alerted to important details about the program, including safety requirements, cancellations, and book signing updates.

Reserve a Book

• Books will be available for purchase at the event, but you can ensure that you get a copy by preordering on this page. You can pick your book up after 6:30PM on the day of the event.
• Can't make it to the event? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held or shipped from the store! Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.

Livestream!

Barring technical difficulty, this event will be livestreamed to our store YouTube channel.

Event Accesibility

This event will take place at street level. If possible, the event will be livestreamed to YouTube. ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. Seats are limited. Please email dGlja2V0aW5nIHwgYnJvb2tsaW5lYm9va3NtaXRoICEgY29t as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. We will do our best to serve your needs!

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING COVID & IN-PERSON EVENTS:

Please note that any Brookline Booksmith in-person event may be canceled by the bookstore, publisher, or author based on concerns about health and safety around the time of the event. Wherever possible, any in-person appearance canceled due to COVID will be moved to the Brookline Booksmith Zoom as a webinar at the same date and time, and all tickets and registrations will be transferred to the online event. Book signing details may change. Refunds may be requested in the case of a virtual pivot or event cancelation.

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