Some of his other works:

• Don Juan on Trial (La nuit de Valognes)
• Enigma Variations (Variations Énigmatiques)
• The Libertine (Le Libertin)
• Frederick or the Crime Boulevard (Frédérick ou Le Boulevard du Crime)
• Oscar and the Lady in Pink (Oscar et la dame rose)
• The Gospel according to Pilate (L'Évangile selon Pilate)
• The Alternative Hypothesis (La Part de l'Autre)
• Noah's Child (L'enfant de Noé)
• My life with Mozart (Ma vie avec Mozart)

Monsieur Ibrahim did not commit suicide, but he knew he was going to die. The reasons for this are found in the text. First why did he go on the trip with Momo? He left because he wanted to return to his birthplace in order to die. He had not reached his birthplace when he did die, which suggests that he did not plan to die there. He also wanted to visit his friend Abdullah. Why would he want to die before seeing him once more? The fact that Momo is surprised to find him and that he is still alive to talk to Momo suggests that he did not plan to commit suicide because if he did he would have died, not been hurt to the point of no return. If one can hurt himself just enough so that he has just enough time to talk to loved ones but still will inevitably die is a plan that is not really rational to believe. Instead it is more likely that his accident was circumstantial and he just was hurt badly enough. Indeed this is often the magic of novel and cinema.

Of course sometimes suicides go wrong, but suicide does not seem as though it is a possible answer because of M. Ibrahim’s strong belief in his faith. The moral presented in the book such as overcoming fear and sadness, broadening one’s perspective on life, and living by listening to oneself, is contradictory if M. Ibrahim killed himself. What strikes the reader is that he knew he would die on the trip, but it was that he knew that his life would end on the trip, not that, he was going to end his life on the trip. Thus the claims that Monsieur Ibrahim's death was a suicide does not fit in relation to the morals of the book, the death occurred at a place that was not exactly where Monsieur Ibrahim would have liked to die, and he was hurt very badly by the accident but was not killed instantly like the many people who commit suicide.

But then again...maybe he did commit suicide--Addler Pluviose
Suicide has many faces, one for each of the different methods of doing so. Monsieur Ibrahim committed suicide, but not before teaching to Momo everything he learned about life. M. Ibrahim had felt that he lived a complete life. He did not seek monetary gains nor push forward towards any more life accomplishments apart from teaching a young boy about the beauties of life. M. Ibrahim was a man who lived by what he knew to be true, which gave him a peace that allowed him to fear nothing. When M. Ibrahim and Momo are at the car dealership with the intention of buying a vehicle he expresses to the dealer that two weeks is too late to wait for a vehicle. In addition M. Ibrahim goes through extensive lengths to make sure that Momo is left with all that he needs to survive on his own. In considering M. Ibrahim's suicide it is important to understand that his passing was not a somber one. He felt that he was going home to rejoin his wife, who had already died in previous years.

The circumstances following M. Ibrahim's death was one of mystery. When leaving Momo in the village, he did not expect to return. The excuse he gave was he must see the land first, but the subliminal message was that it was the end of their journey together. There comes a time when the traveler must venture out on his own without the guide, who has made his last journey. For M. Ibrahim he knew that no longer was he to stay alive, having reached the pinnacle of tranquility in his life. He desired and successfully transcended the everyday struggles and occurring misfortunes which were present in the background.


The two flowers inside the Koran represent Momo and Ibrahim. The relationship they had was a special one and can be compared to the beauty of the life of a flower. Like many flowers, at the end of their cycle seeds are produced from a dying flower, replacing that old flower in that very same spot and the cycle starts all over again. Mr.Ibrahim can be seen as the first flower planting a seed inside Moses who would eventually become the ideal son of Ibrahim, Momo. Mose’s beliefs and perspective about life would change dramatically while his friendship with Ibrahim progressed. As Moses became more optimistic and happy about his life, the seed inside Moses grew showing the beauty that was developing inside him. Moses began transforming into an identity similar to Mr.Ibrahim. Moses in becoming the person Momo is actually replacing the old flower (Mr.Ibrahim).