Judeo-Arabic Proverbs from Fez

Louis Brunot

Elie Malka

1940

Sensitive Content

This text includes discriminatory perspectives on people's skin color. This text provides insight into Jewish history; however, The Posen Library does not condone or promote hate speech of any kind.

Proverbs

1. “If a pale woman desires you, do not desire her! Do not waste on her the legacy from your father and your grandfather! She is like a white spot that, settling in the eye, blinds it.”

This is just a saying; it does not indicate a general repulsion for some women’s white skin.

2. “If a rosy-skinned woman desires you, desire her! Spend on…

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Creator Bio

Louis Brunot

1882–1965

An academic and lecturer in Rabat, Louis Brunot was director of the Institut des hautes études marocaines and head of the bureau responsible for public instruction. Brunot was the author of a number of works on the history and tradition of Morocco as a maritime nation and collaborated with Elie Malka on works detailing local language and customs.

Creator Bio

Elie Malka

20th Century

In 1939, Elie Malka worked as a translator, with the title interprète civil de la direction des affaires politiques du Maroc. He graduated from the Institut des hautes études marocaines with a Diplôme d’études supérieures marocaines; he was later a professor of Moroccan affairs there.

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