News
Tuesday 7 May 2013

Moroccan Writer Wins French Prestigious Goncourt Prize

Vocal synthesis
Fouad Laroui

Moroccan novelist and short-story writer, Fouad Laroui, won this Tuesday France’s prestigious Goncourt prize for his short story "L'étrange affaire du pantalon de Dassoukine", the Goncourt academy announced.

The prize was awarded to Laroui by a four-member jury who had to choose between four candidates.

   Two other Moroccans had won this award: Tahar Benjelloun (novel Goncourt in 1987) and Abdellatif Laabi (poetry Goncourt in 2009).

    "L'étrange affaire du pantalon de Dassoukine" is a collection of short stories written by Laroui in his typical humoristic style.

   Born in 1958, Fouad Laroui is also an economist who worked as an engineer for the Moroccan phosphates company before going to the United Kingdom where he obtained a PhD in economic sciences.

    He also writes poems in Dutch and has won several prizes.