On 9 December in the evening H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco, and H. E. Mr. Joël Meyer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the Republic of Bulgaria,

organized together a reception on the occasion of the visit to Sofia of the famous French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani. The residence of the Moroccan ambassador once again hospitably opened its doors to the people of culture and arts, and of course to her colleagues, so that they could communicate and build bridges between them. Among the guests was Mr. Najib El Khadi,  General Secretary of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco and General Secretary of the Association of the General Secretaries of Parliaments in the world, who was visiting Sofia in the same time.

The  Goncourt Prize winner Leila Slimani was in Bulgaria as a guest of the eleventh edition of the Sofia International Literary Festival. Before the reception, she met her fans at a literary meeting at the French Institute. The moderator of the meeting was Luc Levy, Director of the French Institute in Bulgaria. The topics discussed were civic activism, the role of the literature, writing and reading, and the meaning of the prize.

After the welcoming of the guests, H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, as the host, saluted them and briefly introduced the writer:

I would like to welcome you to the Residence of Morocco for this reception, which I am organizing together with H. E. Mr. Joël Meyer, Ambassador of France, on the occasion of the visit to Bulgaria of the Franco-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani.

Born in Rabat to a French mother and a Moroccan father, Leila Slimani is a French-speaking Franco-Moroccan writer and journalist. After growing up in Rabat and studying brilliantly in Paris, the Franco-Moroccan writer achieved her first success with her novel "Dans le jardin de l'ogre" (In the Garden of the Ogre), published by Gallimard in 2014, about one of the taboo subjects in North Africa, namely female sexual addiction.

Her second novel "Chanson Douce" (Sweet Song), which made her a literary and media phenomenon, was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2016. In the same year she published her novel "Le diable est dans les détails" (The devil is in the details). In 2022, she published another novel, "Le Pays des autres" (The Land of Others). The list is not exhaustive, as Mrs. Slimani has published many other well-known literary works, which were translated into 40 languages.

Slimani's inspiration comes from the free view she takes of current events that make sense to her. Resolutely opposed to fanaticism, she is a fervent defender of equal opportunities, gender issues, civic education, legitimate difference and dissonant voices within our society.

In the course of her literary career, the Franco-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani has become a major figure on the Francophone literary scene. This is why in 2017 she was appointed Personal Representative for La Francophonie by H. E. Mr.  Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. This explains our joint commitment with H. E. Mr. Joel Meyer, Ambassador of France, and myself in my dual capacity as Ambassador of Morocco and also in my capacity as President of the Group of French-speaking Ambassadors (GAF) accredited to Bulgaria.

Moroccan writer Leila Slimani is visiting Bulgaria from 9 to 10 September to take part in the 11th Sofia International Literary Festival, organized as part of the Sofia Book Fair. During her visit to Sofia, our Francophone author has a very busy schedule, taking part today in a literary conference at the French Institute, in partnership with the Specialized establishment of the Francophonie for administration and management (ESFAM), alongside Mrs. Sanya Tabakova, Director of the publishing house Lege Artis and publisher of Mrs. Leila Slimani in Bulgaria, and Mrs. Zornitsa Kitinska, translator of Mrs. Slimani's latest novel "Le parfum des fleurs la nuit" (The Scent of Flowers at Night).

Tomorrow, Mrs. Slimani will be taking part in a literary discussion at the Palace of Culture, alongside Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, who won the International Booker Prize for his novel "The Land of the Past". Mrs. Slimani was the President of the Jury for this prize.

This evening we are delighted to welcome you all to this reception organized together by the Ambassador of France H. E. Mr. Joel Meyer and myself, in honor of Mrs. Slimani, and we are honored that Mr. Najib El Khadi, Secretary General of the Chamber of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco and Secretary General of the Association of Secretaries Generals of Parliaments worldwide, is honoring us with his presence despite their very busy schedules.

After Her Excellency Mrs. Leila Slimani welcomed the guests, many of whom had attended the literary meeting with her earlier at the French Institute. She noted with humour that having visited many countries around the world, she never had the honour of two Ambassadors giving a reception in her honour. This raised the spirits of the guests and the evening really turned into a warm exchange of thoughts about society, culture and today’s values.

Conversations between the intellectuals continued until late, while everyone also enjoyed the famous traditional Moroccan cuisine offered by H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui and the excellent French wines and champagne offered by H. E. Mr. Joël Meyer.

Pictures: Yuliana Tomova

Upper: Н. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco, French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani and H. E. Mr. Joël Meyer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the Republic of Bulgaria

Down: the audience and H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, welcoming the guests; H. E. Mr. Joël Meyer, the writer Dimitar Tomov, who inscribed his book "Troubles of Love" /translated into French/ for the Ambassador and the journalist Ekaterina Pavlova