This is the first time that an Algerian author has won the most prestigious French literary prize. It is for Houris, a book looking back on the dark decade in Algeria (1992-2002), which Kamel Daoud was awarded on November 4 in Paris. A victory which did not have the same echo on both sides of the Mediterranean. “This Goncourt Prize crystallizes these debates: is it a recognition of literary talent or a validation of a discourse which, sometimes, seems in agreement with Western expectations on the way of representing the Arab-Muslim world?” asks the opposition daily The Morning of Algeria.
“The awarding of this prize questions more broadly France’s relationship with North African literature and its expectations of writers from this region. By rewarding Kamel Daoud, France seems to validate a vision of literature which favors critical stories of traditional Maghreb institutions, often imbued with a secular and liberal posture. continues the newspaper. And this to the detriment of literary visions “alternatives and less consensual”.
Banned in Algeria
By wanting to approach this dark page through fiction
Books
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