Crowned with the prestigious literary prize, the Franco-Algerian author arouses annoyance and jealousy in Algeria, where his supporters suffer intimidation from the authorities who banned his publisher, Gallimard, from participating in the Algiers International Book Fair.
Almost 24 hours after the announcement of the Goncourt Prize, awarded for the first time to an Algerian writer, Kamel Daoud for Hourisno media in Algeria has yet commented on the news.
A silence that several journalists, on condition of anonymity, explain in part by the “climate of terror” imposed as part of the Algiers International Book Fair (Sila), which opens tomorrow until November 16. “The majority is jealous, a part is ideologically hostile, and the minority who would be tempted to give the information are afraid of reprisals”analyzes one of them.
At the beginning of October, the Algerian authorities banned the French publishing house Gallimard (which publishes Houris ) to participate in the event and, according to the testimonies of professionals in the sector, exercised “very strong pressure” to prevent Kamel Daoud's books from circulating between the stands.
Criticism of his positions on Islam and Palestine
To measure the divisive nature of the subject, we must instead go to the networks…
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