A Year in Marrakesh
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Review
"I know of no other book that paints such an endearing portrait of life among Muslims. The author's warmth and humanity illuminate every page, and to keep the ball rolling, it is deliciously witty. A classic."
--The Week, 8 August 2009
Michael Palin picks A YEAR IN MARRAKESH by Peter Mayle as one of his top ten books. One of those travel classics in the Englishman (of some means) abroad vein, this shows a great deal of sensitivity to both Morocco and Marrakesh a country and city I love, too. Rather like Jan Morriss book on Venice, this takes relish in the place, and the life of the place, looking underneath the surface veneer. Its not so much a guide to the sights as the story of Maynes year there, the people he met and the problems of living there. The book is exquisitely written, it strikes just the right note throughout, and whenever I read it, I want to rush off there again. --The Mail on Sunday, 9 January 2011
--The Week, 8 August 2009
Michael Palin picks A YEAR IN MARRAKESH by Peter Mayle as one of his top ten books. One of those travel classics in the Englishman (of some means) abroad vein, this shows a great deal of sensitivity to both Morocco and Marrakesh a country and city I love, too. Rather like Jan Morriss book on Venice, this takes relish in the place, and the life of the place, looking underneath the surface veneer. Its not so much a guide to the sights as the story of Maynes year there, the people he met and the problems of living there. The book is exquisitely written, it strikes just the right note throughout, and whenever I read it, I want to rush off there again. --The Mail on Sunday, 9 January 2011
About the Author
Peter Mayne was born in England in 1908. At the age of twenty he went out to India, where his father was a serior member of the Department of Education. For a while he worked as a mercantile assistant in a firm of merchant-shippers, but he was never a successful businessman. At the time of Partition, the Pakistan Government invited him to serve as Deputy Secretary to the Ministry of Refugees and Rehabilitation. When the tension died down, he resigned from government service and settled in Morocco to write his first book. He died in 1979.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
101 of 103 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Alright, so the title of this review is a little disingenuous, but this is a lost gem of leftfield travel writing with more than a little in common with 'beat' authors. Taking the North African hippy trail before it was even established, Mayne (NOT A Year in Provence's Peter Mayle) rented a room in Marrakesh's Medina (old town) with the aim of writing a novel. This novel has not survived but his journal of the time has, and it makes a brilliant read. Funny, self-deprecating, beautifully descriptive and packed with pungent characterization (but without any syncophantic obsession with his locale - Mayne loves his environs and Moroccan friends but that does not stem criticism if he feels it deserved).
I cannot recommend this enough. For anyone with any interest in travel, North Africa, Kerouac's On the Road, Hunter S Thompson or a good tale well told.
45 of 46 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The writer's year in Marrakesh was not about seeing the sights and learning the history - rather, it was about his engagement with the real people of his neighbourhood as he gets drawn into their lives. A clearer picture than you get from the pompous, passive travel writing that casts an eye on a culture and tells you what to visit there. Thoroughly engaging.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Joanne
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having lived in colonial India and Pakistan, Peter Mayne having what would be viewed as a "mid life crisis" these days decided to move to Morocco with the intention to make it his permanent home and to fund himself by writing a novel. Whilst it seems the novel never made it to publication, this book is written from his personal journals on life in Marrakesh - trying to live and be accepted by the locals, learn Arabic, make friends and understand life there.
Mayne was in Marrakesh in the late 1950's but the book almost seems as if it could have been written recently. I have not been to Morocco but had no trouble imaging myself there. As someone who has gone through the challenges (and delights) of living in a country other than my own and learning a foreign language I really appreciated the book from that perspective. He allows himself to try and understand the place and the people - warts and all - without being judgemental. His style in the book is summed up in his reflections on his friends as he prepares to leave Marrakesh: "All these lovable, good people who would be surprised to be called anything of the sort. They, who have never gone away - how should they know what parting means, that it means dying a little."
The text includes Arabic and French which adds to the flavour and that feeling of not understanding. I suspect if I remembered more French I could have enjoyed it even more. Mayne does a good job of allowing you to follow the theme even though you don't understand all the words rather than simply translating everything.
Very enjoyable. I thoroughly recommend it.
Mayne was in Marrakesh in the late 1950's but the book almost seems as if it could have been written recently. I have not been to Morocco but had no trouble imaging myself there. As someone who has gone through the challenges (and delights) of living in a country other than my own and learning a foreign language I really appreciated the book from that perspective. He allows himself to try and understand the place and the people - warts and all - without being judgemental. His style in the book is summed up in his reflections on his friends as he prepares to leave Marrakesh: "All these lovable, good people who would be surprised to be called anything of the sort. They, who have never gone away - how should they know what parting means, that it means dying a little."
The text includes Arabic and French which adds to the flavour and that feeling of not understanding. I suspect if I remembered more French I could have enjoyed it even more. Mayne does a good job of allowing you to follow the theme even though you don't understand all the words rather than simply translating everything.
Very enjoyable. I thoroughly recommend it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful
A beautifully written account evoking a Marrakesh which was probably always obscured from the casual traveller. . . . .
Published 5 months ago by linton waters
5.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting pre-view
Before going to Marrakech for the first time for a week in April 2012 this was an interesting and useful insight into Marrakech life of the time although much changed today by... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Peter Wenban
2.0 out of 5 stars
Overrated, outdated and badly written.
Having looked at the reviews, and having spent some time in Marrakech, (note the Moroccan spelling) I thought I may have found an interesting read. Wrong. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars
A year in Marrakesh
I don't even remember if I ordered it used or new, because the quality of the book was just excellent.
Published 22 months ago by josephinnn
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad but can be a bit dry.
Of all the modern travel books for Morocco I have to say this is one of the best. The author spent a year in Marrakesh renting a room (And a very small one at that) In the city... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2010 by Gogol
3.0 out of 5 stars
A year in Marrakesh
Only interesting if you have visited Marrakesh - then a good insight into life there in the 1950s
Published on 22 Dec 2009 by E. Newnham
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read.
I was particularly interested in this book because I'm going to Marrakesh in April of next year. I found it fascinating as the author immersed himself totally in the area and the... Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2009 by Mrs. Mary A. France
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great to read while travelling in Morroco
I found this book a fascinating read and Marrakesh seems to have hardly changed in 50 years!
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by Sausage
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