Alberto Ruy Sanchez's New Essay, "The Nine Gifts That Morocco Gave Me"

I was in Morocco last year, where, after 20 years of living in Mexico, it was almost impossible to resist comparing everything to Mexico. Afterall, much of Mexican architecture and garden design has its roots in Moorish Spain. So I was delighted to find this beautiful and intriguing new essay (in English) on Mexican writer Alberto Ruy Sanchez's website: "The Nine Gifts That Morocco Gave Me." (I've long been a fan of his work--- his haunting "Vigil in Tehuantepec," translated by Harry Morales, appears in my anthology, Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion.) His novel, Mogador, translated by Mark Shafer, is available from City Lights. More anon.