Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani

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Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani
Born(1940-05-10)10 May 1940
ENSAE ParisTech
OccupationWriter

Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani (10 May 1940 – 30 May 2012) was a Moroccan engineer, economist and writer.

Biography

ENSAE ParisTech (promotion 1973),[2] Ottmani held senior official positions in the Moroccan public administration, particularly in the Departments of Public Works and Transportation. He was Transportation Planning Director for a long period, before becoming Secretary General of the Ministry of Transports. He was also a founding member of the «association pour la sauvegarde, le développement et la promotion de la ville d'Essaouira » ("association for the safeguarding, the development and the promotion of Essaouira
city").

Writing

Ottmani's literary work is largely focused on his hometown,

Mogador
.

His first book, "Une cité sous les alizés" ("a city under the trade winds"),[3] is a historical study of Mogador-Essaouira from prehistory to the World War II. Then he turned to fiction, but retaining a strong historical basis.

In "Si Mogador m'était contée" ("if Mogador could talk"),

Senussi against the Italian colonization
. "Le Fils du Soleil" ("Son of the Sun") is a historical novel which tells the amazing story of Mustapha Zemmouri, better known under the name Estevanico, Moroccan from Azemmour region, slave kidnapped by a Spanish man to America and became one of the first discoverers of Arizona and New Mexico.

Awards

Ottmani was awarded the " Société de Géographie humaine de Paris" ("humain geography society of Paris) with the " prix René-Caillié" ("René-Caillié award") in 1997. His book "Le Fils du Soleil" ("Son of the Sun") received the "Prix du Maroc du livre" ("Morocco book award") in 2006 in the creative writing category.[6][7] His biography of Si Kaddour Benghabrit was selected for the "Prix Grand Atlas" in 2011.[8]

Bibliography

  • Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani, Une cité sous les alizés : Mogador des origines à 1939, Éditions La Porte, 1997, 356 p. (
    ISBN 978-9981889187
    )
  • Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani, Le Fils du soleil : l'Odyssée d'Estevanico de Azemor, Éditions La Porte, 2006, 316 p. (
    ISBN 9789981889538
    )
  • « Le Soldat qui venait de Mogador » (Ed. La Porte).
  • « Si Mogador était contée » (Ed. Eddif).
  • « Kaddour Benghabrit : Un Maghrébin hors du commun » (Ed. Marsam).
  • Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani's obituary (in French)

References

  1. ^ (in French) Annuaire anciens élèves de l'ÉNAC Archived 2012-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ (in French) Annuaire anciens élèves de l'ENSAE ParisTech
  3. ^ THE LAST JEWS OF ESSAOUIRA Archived 2012-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ (in French) Si Mogador m'était contée
  5. ^ (in French) Tel quel, n° 285 Archived 2010-11-21 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ (in French) Ottmani sort de l'ombre. « Le fils du Soleil »[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ (in French) Hamza Ottmani présente son récit
  8. ^ (in French) Le Matin, 14th of October2011[permanent dead link]
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