Lectura del espacio en Xemaá-el-Fná, 96

About this work:

With the publication of the illustrated edition of the book Lectura del espacio en Xemaá-El-Fná (Reading Space in Jema-al-Fna) by Juan Goytisolo, illustrated by the painter Hans Werner Geerdts, Círculo del Arte pays tribute to Jema al-Fna, the famous market place in Marrakech, declared &#171a world heritage site&#187 by Unesco. At Jema al-Fna, the real nerve centre of Marrakech, where for centuries, and even today, the tradition of oral culture has been preserved, one can hear stories narrated live, while all around every type of transaction takes place, between the hubbub, the blinding light of North Africa and the sunshades faded by the sun.

In the book, Juan Goytisolo uses his poetic prose to recount the thousand thoughts, impressions and adventures that occur in this magical square. Alongside the text, the drawings by Hans Werner Geerdts, with their free, fast, emphatic lines, sometimes focus on a single person, sometimes on a whole crowd, sometimes on the colour and movement of the entire square.

For members of Círculo del Arte, the book is accompanied by an etching by Geerdts, full of intense tones and contrasts, which suggests all the atmosphere and bright light of this special place.


The book: With illustrations by Hans Werner Geerdts. Hard cover, lined with Rohhalbleinen de Kaliko cloth with stamping on spine. 24,5 x 32,5 cm. 42 pages. Numbered and signed edition of 300.

First Prize as Best Edited Book of 1996.

The case: lined with Rohhalbleinen de Kaliko cloth.

The print: lithograph in 7 colours on Arches paper, by Hans Werner Geerdts. 30 x 23 cm. Numbered and signed edition of 300.