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Rabat – Moroccan-Dutch writer Naima El Bezaz has committed suicide, several Dutch news outlets reported on Saturday.
Hart Vannederland and NOS reported on August 8 that El Bezaz died at 46, leaving behind a renowned short story collection.
Moroccan-Dutch writer and journalist Abdelkader Benali tweeted about the death of his friend.
“She immediately impressed me .. she told me what I had to do as a writer to succeed,” he wrote.
De schrijver Naima el Bezaz is overleden. We debuteerden midden jaren negentig, zij met de roman De weg naar het noorden. Ze maakte meteen indruk op me. Intelligent en gevat. Ze vertelde me wat ik moest doen als schrijver om te slagen. Ik zal ons optreden op de Caïro boekennieuws
— Abdelkader Benali (@abdelkabenali) August 8, 2020
The writer began her career at age 21, making her debut in 1995 with the novel “Road to the North.” The story is about a young unemployed Moroccan who hopes for a better life in Europe.
The passionate author is also known for her collection “Vinexvrouwen” and authored the novel “The Vinex Women” in 2010.
Her last novel, “Serving the Devil,” was released in 2013.
In 2012, the writer said her work is “too direct” for the public, examining taboo topics such as sex and drugs, as well as religion.
“I’m a barrel full of prejudices. My mouth is too big and I’m too direct,” Naima El Bezaz said during an interview with Dutch news outlet NRC in 2012.
According to Hart Vannederland, El Bezaz opened up about her struggles with depression in several interviews.
After publishing a book on religion in 2006, the Moroccan-Dutch writer allegedly received numerous death threats. She said it temporarily forced her to stop writing and sever some of her relationships, local news outlet Al Aoual reported.
One of her neighbors allegedly thought the novel was targeting him and retaliated by attacking her home with a Molotov cocktail, according to the same source.
A target of vicious hatred for several years, she sought out therapy as she struggled to cope with the threats to her life. But the controversy surrounding the fruits of her passion for literature tragically took an irreversible toll on her mental health.
Naima El Bezaz is survived by her husband and her two daughters and immortalized through her art.
