The first edition of the program  liberation of the Sensible
Najib Youssef.
‘Another Skin ’

Youssef Najib, a novelist and short story writer, is working on a new novel during a creative residency
with Taowsnalab Laboratory. He studied traditional Arabic and Islamic studies in the Souss region, as
well as English Studies at Ibn Zohr University. This education gave him strong linguistic, Islamic legal
(fiqh), and logical knowledge, forming his cultural and artistic background. He has published a short
story collection, (The Others) and three novels(The Three) (2017), (Knights of Habakkuk) (2020),
and (The Emperor's New Clothes) (2024).
During this residency, he seeks to work on a novel project titled "Another skin"(working
title). It is based on tracing the causes behind the dynamic of value change, considering it a
social process that can occur suddenly. The novel observes modern Moroccan society by
delving into the details of the youth group. The novelist's eye is that of an observer who
senses and spies on the worlds surrounding him. Youssef Najib believes that the nineties
generation—if this specification is correct, as differentiation between close generations is
difficult—had its own particular features and distinct value system. It continued to suffer from
fragmented belonging, being a transitional generation whose members mostly lived before
and after the advent of technology and digital society. It is the "in-between" generation in its
values. From this standpoint, he builds a character experiencing a unique destiny and a
psychological revolution linked to various factors—some historical and cultural, others born
from reality. The protagonist finds himself amidst the pages of Adolf Hitler's book "Mein
Kampf"and in a way he doesn't comprehend, he begins to understand his problem with
success. These are observations and outcomes through which he can construct a narrative
world, monitoring the factors that shape concepts like feeling, good and evil, belonging,
individualism, and family in Moroccan contexts.
The work "Another Skin"interacts with the concept of success and detachment from ordinary
real-world problems, set in a realistic atmosphere dense with events. We could say the main
character dissolves in a milieu that doesn't accept him. Or, in other words: can a single book
the protagonist reads change his life? Do books possess this power?




















Youssef Najib is counting on this residency to develop the narrative and semantic structures
of his novel, refine it, and rewrite it until it is ready for publication and circulation. This is a
new attempt to make the linguistic structure part of the narrative context—for the language to
be a part that evolves with the events—and also to present a human experience that might
appear—depending on perspective—psychological, magical, or uncanny, without leaving the
social environment. He tries as much as possible to delve into the structures of Moroccan
society from a perspective of detachment or, in other words, "stripping away"meaning
understanding instead of judging. He poses several questions, including: What remains of the
Moroccan citizen today when we strip them of their cultural attire? Can one of us succeed in
breaking the mold of conventional living and choose a somewhat new path? For the first time,
Youssef Najib is open to sharing this experience during the residency with fellow residents
and guests.