Mounsi interview with Harriett Gilbert for 'The Word' broadcast by BBC World Service, about his novel THE DEMENTED DANCE, translated by Lulu Norman. TIME OUT (Book of the Week) – "The Demented Dance (La Noce des Fous) was first published in 1990, predating Irvine Welsh and the 'keeping it real' writing boom that came after … It's easy for the comfortable reader to make a fetish of others' deprivation, but this book demands more from its audience. What elevates The Demented Dance above similar stories is the interior life of the narrator. Even as he is written off by his teachers, Tarik remains aware of his own oblivion, thereby keeping himself alive. And the ending is a shock, an undeserved but somehow inevitable fate … For reference, think La Haine think the Cités — the concrete Parisian suburbs we only hear about when there's rioting. Nowadays it's hard to refer to anyone as an 'outsider' without instantly reducing their difference to a brand. So check out Mounsi's writing for yourself: it's a true lesson in walking in another's shoes."

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