Kamel Daoud, accused of having taken over the story of a woman, defends himself on France Inter

LITERATURE – Kamel Daoud defends himself. The story of the Algerian woman who filed a complaint against the writer for using elements of her private life was “public”hammered the winner of the Goncourt 2024 prize for his latest novel Houristhis Wednesday, December 11, on France Inter.

After receiving the prestigious literary prize at the beginning of November, the Franco-Algerian was denounced by a woman who claims that he used her story in this novel. “Everyone knows his story in Algeria, and especially in Oran. This is a public story”insisted Kamel Daoud on public radio. Before adding: “The adoptive mother of this young woman is the former Algerian Minister of Health. She told her story everywhere. » A passage to find in the video belowfrom 12 minutes.

This complainant, Saâda Arbane, appeared on the Algerian channel One TV in mid-November to assert that the heroine of Houris was modeled on her, survivor in 1999 of a slitting attempt perpetrated by jihadists. She specified that Kamel Daoud knew about her life because his psychiatrist wife had had her as a patient. “I went to her for a consultation”et “Everyone knows I don’t want to talk about this story. It's something that bothers me in my life.”she explained in an interview.

“The fact that she recognizes herself in a novel that doesn't quote her, that doesn't tell her life, that doesn't tell the details of her life, I'm sorry, I can't do anything about itcontinued the writer. My novel has nothing to do with this woman. (…) There are no medical secrets in this book. »

Kamel Daoud targeted by another complaint

Asked whether the complainant was “manipulated by the regime”he replied: “Ah but totally. » “I knew it was coming. I knew I couldn't escape this.”he said on this subject, because after the publication of the novel in August, “From the first week, there were editorials in government newspapers, which spoke of a conspiracy, of a Trojan horse. »

Kamel Daoud is the target of another complaint from associations of victims of terrorism. “It’s the same method”commented the novelist. “ What is the criticism against me, a man who writes fiction? To defend women? I assume it. To defend freedom? I assume it. To denounce Islamism? I assume ithe continues, still at France Inter. Is it that Does that make me a devil? I will be the devil. »

Houris cannot be published in Algeria, because it falls under a law prohibiting any work on “ dark decade », the Algerian civil war between 1992 and 2002, which left at least 200,000 dead, according to official figures.

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