Structure Emerges
In his early days of his writing career, Edem gave absolute priority to his work on the words of his fiction; he later dropped that for work on the story. Ben Jelloun helped him combine the two by showing him that you don’t write a story with ideas, but with words. The deep understanding between them really came into its own when, after deciding that his protégé had started off on the wrong tack, Ben Jelloun realised Edem was now heading off on a very good one.
While Edem’s novel emerges, a lasting relationship has also emerged. Tahar Ben Jelloun and Edem have gone from cautious beginnings through a mentorship period and will continue as friends.
Extracted from an article written by Pierre Assouline for Mentor & Protégé, a magazine documenting the 2006/2007 cycle of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.