We do not have many intellectuals who can speak out for us internationally. We have no writers who are recognized, respected and loved outside the Arab world.

I love life in spite of all that mars it. I love friendship, jokes and laughter.

An individual voice can be heard in a choir that otherwise sings in unison. This is something that is not excused.

People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this in their own way and in their own field, by hard, rigorous work.

I liked Sartre's views but not his writing.

My hope is that countries like Morocco will have investment to create work, so people don't have to leave.

I write about wounds, the eternal treasons of life. It's not very funny, but it's sincere. My commitment is to sincerity.