Alarm over fate of French-Algerian writer arrested in Algiers

Alarm grew in France on Friday, November 23, over the fate of a prominent French-Algerian novelist detained in the country of his birth, with his publisher urging his immediate release and President Emmanuel Macron closely following the case. Boualem Sansal, a major figure in francophone modern literature, is known for his strong stances against both authoritarianism and Islamism as well as being a forthright campaigner on freedom of expression issues.

The 75-year-old writer, granted French nationality this year, was last Saturday arrested at Algiers airport after returning from France, according to several sources reached by The World. His arrest was first reported by Marianne. His detention by Algeria comes against a background of tensions between France and its former colony which have also appeared to have spread to the literary world.

The Gallimard publishing house, which has published his work for a quarter of a century, in a statement expressed “its very deep concern following the arrest of the writer by the Algerian security services,” calling for his “immediate release.”

There has been no confirmation from the Algerian authorities of his arrest and no other details about his situation.

Macron is “very concerned by the disappearance” of Sansal, said a French presidential official, asking not to be named. “State services are mobilized to clarify his situation,” the official said, adding that “the president expresses his unwavering attachment to the freedom of a great writer and intellectual.”

A relative latecomer to writing, Sansal turned to novels in 1999 and has tackled subjects including the horrific 1990s civil war between authorities and Islamists. His books are not banned in Algeria but he is a controversial figure, particularly since making a visit to Israel in 2014.

Sansal’s hatred of Islamism has not been confined to Algeria and he has also warned of a creeping Islamisation in France, a stance that has made him a favored author of prominent figures on the right and far-right. Prominent politicians from this side of the political spectrum rushed to echo Macron’s expression of concern for the writer.

‘Courageous opponent of Islamism’

Center-right former premier and candidate in 2027 presidential elections Edouard Philippe wrote on X that Sansal “embodies everything we cherish: the call for reason, freedom and humanism against censorship, corruption and Islamism.” Far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen, another possible 2027 contender, said: “This freedom fighter and courageous opponent of Islamism has reportedly been arrested by the Algerian regime. This is an unacceptable situation.”

In 2015, Sansal won the Grand Prix du Roman of the Académie Française, the guardians of the French language, for his book 2084. The end of the world (2084: The End of the World)a dystopian novel inspired by George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty Four and set in an Islamist totalitarian world in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. His publisher said that Sansal’s novels and essays “exposed the obscurantisms of all kinds which are tragically affecting the way of the world.”

The concerns about his reported arrest come as another prominent French-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud is under attack over his novel Houriswhich won France’s top literary prize, the Goncourt. A woman has claimed the book was based on her story of surviving 1990s Islamist massacres and used without her consent.

She alleged on Algerian television that Daoud used the story she confidentially recounted to a therapist – who is now his wife – during treatment. His publisher has denied the claims.

The controversies are taking place in a tense diplomatic context between France and Algeria, after Macron renewed French support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara during a landmark visit to the kingdom last month. Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is de facto controlled for the most part by Morocco. But it is claimed by the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, who are demanding a self-determination referendum and are supported by Algiers.

Daoud meanwhile has called for Sansal’s release, writing in the right-wing Le Figaro: “I sincerely hope that my friend Boualem will return to us very soon”, while expressing his bafflement in the face of the “imprudence” that Sansal allegedly showed in going to Algeria.