Posthumous Journal and Final Novel of Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine Published

Two posthumous works by Moroccan poet and novelist Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, who died in August 1995, have been published: "On ne met pas en cage un oiseau pareil" (William Blake & Co), a journal kept during his final three months, and "Il était une fois un vieux couple heureux" (Seuil), a novel written in one month. The journal, spanning August 7–28, 1995, focuses on his agony, a toothache, and stoic humor, while the novel centers on an elderly Berber couple in southern Morocco, critiquing misogyny and celebrating simplicity. Khaïr-Eddine's work blends lyricism and anti-lyricism, addressing exile, monarchy, and the search for essence. The journal's title references the hoopoe bird, symbolizing the work's spirit. The texts evoke friends like Michel Leiris and Jacques Berque, and reflect on silence, sound, and the natural world as ultimate art.