There is an important erotic element in A Thousand and One Nights, which is one of the keys to understanding the Orient.

I belong to a specific category of writers, those who speak and write in a language different from that of their parents.

In the 70s I was in exile; every time I went back I wondered if they'd take my passport away.

Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.

It is impossible to disregard such an important medium as television. We should know how to use it, learn to work in it and express new values in it.

We have no Arab intellectuals of international stature because we live in a state of generalized mediocrity. We are suspended in the pit without touching the bottom.

Our steps invent the path as we proceed; behind us they leave no trace, only the void. So we shall always look ahead and trust our feet. They will take us as far as our minds will go... -- Tahar ben Jelloun