Renowned Moroccan Writer and Journalist Lotfi Akalay Dies at 76

Born in Tangier in 1943, Lotfi Akalay studied political science in Paris. He was known for his humorous columns published in the daily Al Bayane between 1990 and 1994.

A columnist for La Vie Économique, the monthly Femmes du Maroc and the international weekly Jeune Afrique, he had also hosted a radio program on jazz and classical music, reports Médias24.

His career as a writer was just as prolific, with publications of works on various themes. In 1996, he had published, with Seuil editions, his first novel entitled "Les Nuits d’Azed", which has been translated into eight languages: Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Korean, Turkish, Chinese and Spanish. Two years later, ’’Ibn Battouta, Prince des voyageurs’’ was published by Le Fennec editions.

In 2014, Lotfi Akalay published "Conversations avec Ibn Battouta" with Frogeraie editions. A compilation of dialogues, full of humor between the author and this indefatigable 14th century traveler, illustrated by collages made by the children of the schools of Tangier, specifies the same source.