who is Kamel Daoud, winner of the prestigious French literary prize?

Kamel Daoud won, this Monday, November 4, 2024, the Goncourt, the most prestigious French literary prize, pour Houris. His novel deals with the traumas of the Algerian civil war. This work demonstrates his continued commitment to complex and often taboo subjects. Beyond his literary career, he is also known for his columns in various media, where he addresses contemporary issues.

“It's a book that can also give meaning to what we experience in that country. But it was born because I came to France. Because it's a country that gives me the freedom to write”, greeted the 54-year-old Franco-Algerian, at the Drouant restaurant in Paris, where the Goncourt is presented.
Camel Daoud is an Algerian writer, born in 1970 in Mostaganem, Algeria. He is known for his literary works and social criticism. Daoud initially made a career as a journalist, notably as editor-in-chief of Oran Dailythe first French-speaking Algerian newspaper.

A reinterpretation of “The Stranger” by Albert Camus

Son premier roman, Meursault counter-investigationpublished in 2013received a very favorable critical reception and won several awardsincluding the Goncourt of the first novel. This work offers a reinterpretation of the famous The Stranger by Albert Camus, offering an Algerian's perspective on the events taking place there.

Kamel Daoud became one of the most powerful voices denouncing the rise of Islamismwhich he considers to be the cause of a “sick relationship to women, to the body and to desire” in the Arab world, as he expressed it in a column in Monde in 2016. Suffering from intensifying criticism of him, accused of contributing to Islamophobia, he decided to surrender his press card the same year, while continuing to write for The Point.

Camel Daoud is also recognized for his writings on sociopolitical issues, particularly on the rise of Islamism and its consequences on Arab society. His reflections on identity, memory and cultural tensions have made him an influential voice in the French-speaking literary landscape. He obtained French naturalization in 2020.

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