Abdellah Baïda’s New Book: Blurring Reality & Fiction

Abdellah Baïda’s novel, Sacré personnage, published by Marsam Editions in 2024, has received the Prix de l’Excellence Culturelle et Artistique, awarded by the Fondation Mohammed VI de Promotion des Œuvres Sociales de l’Éducation-Formation in February 2026. The novel secured second place in the French language category of the award.

The novel centers on Agoun, a character living through the colonial period in the South of Morocco during the 1930s and 40s. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when Agoun finds himself displaced from the story and existing in the reality of the author, specifically the 1980s. Baïda’s work explores Agoun’s struggle to adapt to this new existence and his subsequent quest to confront his creator over the direction of his life within the narrative.

Sacré personnage previously received recognition in 2025 with the Prix Littéraire des Jeunes de Marrakech. The Fondation Mohammed VI’s Prix de l’Excellence Culturelle et Artistique recognizes works in Arabic, Amazigh and French languages. Youssouf Amine EL ALAMI’s La vie lui va si bien took first place in the French language category, while Abdelwahed ZAARI JABIRI’s Raconte-moi Salé was awarded third place.

The novel’s premise, as described by Marsam Editions, involves Agoun grappling with both adapting to a new life outside the confines of the book and reconciling with a time fifty years removed from his original setting. Baïda’s fifth novel is noted for its exploration of new literary territories, following a previous work featuring a book as the narrator.

A YouTube video discussing Baïda’s work, titled “Sacré personnage”, le nouvel ouvrage de Abdellah Baïda, entre réel et fiction,” was published by Medi1TV Afrique.