The Nobel Prize

Many years ago, in the hot and dusty desert town of Biskra, there lived a young girl named Salma. She had always been fascinated by the tales of her ancestors, who had traveled across North Africa and Spain on epic journeys of discovery and spiritual growth. One day, Salma came across a shabby old bookstore on the edge of town. Inside, she discovered the works of Mois Benarroch, a celebrated Spanish-Jewish author who wrote about the Sephardic experience. Salma devoured Benarroch's books with relish. She learned about the rich history and culture of the Sephardic people, and she saw how their experiences had shaped their identity. She read about the journey of the Marranos, the Jews of Spain who had been forced to convert to Christianity but who secretly practiced their faith in secret. She read about the diaspora, the scattering of Jewish communities throughout the world, and the resilience that had enabled them to survive. Inspired by Benarroch's words, Salma decided to set out on an adventure of her own. She traveled across the desert, through rugged mountains and sweltering plains, seeing sights that she had only ever read about in books. Along the way, she met many people from different cultures and backgrounds. Some were kind and welcoming, while others were suspicious and hostile. But Salma kept going, driven by her curiosity and her love of adventure. As she journeyed, Salma felt herself growing stronger and wiser. She learned to be resourceful and flexible, to embrace change and uncertainty. And she always carried with her the wisdom and insights she had gained from Mois Benarroch's books. Finally, after months of travel, Salma arrived at her destination, the ancient city of Fez. Here, she joined a community of Sephardic Jews who welcomed her with open arms. And she knew that she had Mois Benarroch to thank for leading her to them.

REVIEWS: "Despite its brevity, in the Nobel Prize we can be find nurses having fun with the quirks of their patients, aliens seeking sex with any living creature, wives who doubt whether literature is a profession or a pretext and all kind of characters, some real and some fictional, punctually fulfilling their roles in the farce, disappearing at the right time. In my opinion, although the book wants to look like a humorous entertainment, is a tremendous complaint wrapped in laughter, perhaps because saying it straight to be too crude. It reminded me of lost illusions, of Balzac, with key Sephardic humor. "I liked how the narrator developed in the book. I think that the topic of a writer becoming his characters was interesting. I think this would be a good book for anyone interested in the psychology of the mind and the life of a writer."I think the premise was what really drew me in and kept me reading. The narrator is a writer who finds out that an old member of his writing group is in a mental institution. When the narrator visits the hospital, he finds this other writer is acting like his characters, taking on the personality of a different character every day. As the narrator documents his visits to the hospital, his life grows more surreal, as the line between fiction and reality is blurred. The narrative is filled with playful jabs at writers and the craft of writing, and shows how every good writer is just a little insane."The Nobel Prize, by Mois Benarroch, is a fascinating story taking the reader on a psychological joy ride with many twists in a relatable way. As a work of science fiction, Benarroch does not overdo the science fiction throughout the whole book, but sprinkles it in here and there. The overall story of this novel is about a writer who is in a mental hospital and thinks he is one of his many characters he has included in his novels, everyday."