Tangier: A writer's notebook

After the publication of his first novel, SANDEL, Angus Stewart went to Tangier to escape 'orthodox Western living', and, with very little money, plunged immediately into a captivating alien world. His Tangier is not the picturesque town of the tourists, nor indeed the superficial scene of squalor and deprivation sometimes observed by journalists. Instead he shows how within their own terms the people of Tangier live, and how their individual customs and perceptions have been shaped out of a decidedly tortuous history. We enter a world in which most of what in the West we take for granted -- money, food, entertainment, family life -- have entirely different meanings, where hashish, not alcohol, is socially acceptable, and where eccentricities are encouraged, not stifled. At the same time, the flavour of Morocco, and especially of Tangier, is shown to be very subtle, and the social customs and codes to be of great complexity. The story of Angus Stewart's battles with authority, and his encounters with some of the towering characters of the city, is often hilarious, and always moving. Altogether this is a perfect guide, not so much to the hotels and restaurants (although some are mentioned) but to the spirit of the city. Illustrated with the author's own photographs.