Exploring the Themes of Cross-cultural Conflicts, Inter-cultural Dialogue, Acculturation, and Identity-crisis in Lahcen Benaziza’s The Splendid Life of a Frequent Traveller

This humble piece of work first sheds light on the narrative frame that is used by the writer. It explains how the combination of the third-person perspective with stream of consciousness downplays the effect of subjectivity in an autobiographical novel to allow for a balanced depiction of colonial, post-colonial, and modern Moroccan society. It also points out the fact that writing in the English language enables the author to avoid the pitfalls of post-colonial Moroccan literature that was expressed in French. Unfortunately, such literature would often emphasize the sentimental, superstitious, and occult aspect of indigenous culture. On the other hand, the essay discusses in details themes such as cross-cultural conflicts, inter-cultural dialogue, acculturation, and identity-crisis, with particular reference to excerpts from the novel and to works of literature, publications and essays that deal with these themes.