Diary of the Castle of Exile

When you read the letters he wrote from prison, you realize that from the very beginning, he understood the profound meaning of a place and time called prison: it is the transformation of the person brought into it, changing them towards their effacement. Between the cell walls, and within an isolated world that prepares for the death of life within it, the new visitor's mind worked, grasping the secret of the hidden game of death, the game of death concealed by the prison, seeing where death hides.

Laâbi's prison diaries are an example of the virtue of being loved. And before that, of being able to spread the values of love, and share it even with those outside prison. These are love letters that Laâbi shares with his life partner, Jocelyne, his children, and his comrades.

• Category: Prison Literature

• Number of pages: 414 pages