La Prisonniere - Tapa blanda

"Honest and compelling", Daily Express ."A remarkably candid chronicle of courage in which the strength of the human spirit, close to collapse, finally wins through...A thoroughly gripping, simply written and moving account of survival and escape", Spectator .'Malika Oufkir's story of her ordeal at the hands of the regime in Morocco has all the drama of a Hollywood movie.', You Magazine .'A true story that is almost beyond belief...Powerfully conveys the amazing, almost miraculous resilience of the human spirit when faced with extreme adversity...Her book, a number one bestseller in France, teaches us that courage, strength, determination, human dignity, hope and a sense of humour - most particularly a sense of humour - can survive even the most extreme and brutal conditions.', Daily Mail .'An extraordinary book...A fascinating insider's account of life in a modern harem in the early pages; a moving chronicle of suffering and courage and endurance in prison; and then a heart-stopping thriller when Malika and her siblings escape. At times the book touches greatness. Malika Oufkir, despite the injustice and suffering imposed on her and her family, manages to write about her father/jailer with affection, generosity, even compassion.', Independent On Saturday .'Her account leaves the mouth dry and the eyes stinging.', Daily Telegraph ."A heartrending account of resilience in the face of extreme deprivation", Books .'You read this book, a bestseller in Europe, with a mounting sense of outrage that such events could still occur in the last few years of the twentieth century.', Marie Claire (Book of the Month)

Malika Oufkir has been a prisoner for most of her life. Born in 1953, the eldest daughter of the King of Morocco’s closest aide, Malika was adopted by the king to be a companion to his little daughter. She grew up at the royal court of Rabat, locked away in a golden cage, among the royal wives and concubines. But in 1972, her father was arrested and executed after an attempt to assassinate the king. Nineteen-year-old Malika, her mother and her five younger brothers and sisters were thrown into an isolated desert gaol. Innocent of any crime, they were locked away in increasingly barbaric conditions for fifteen endless years. Like a modern Scheherazade, Malika kept up their spirits by telling them stories every night. Finally, the Oufkir children managed to dig a tunnel with their bare hands and made a daring escape. Recaptured after five days, the ensuing public hue and cry resulted in house arrest rather than a return to prison. But it was only in 1996 that Malika was finally permitted to leave Morocco to begin a new life in France.