Everyone in the publishing world already had the photo in mind. Camel Daoudbrandishing his book at the window of the Drouant restaurant. The hypothesis came to fruition this Monday, after the announcement around noon by Philippe Claudel of the presentation of the Goncourt prize to the ultra favorite Franco-Algerian writer, for his book Houris (Gallimard).
A work in the form of an introspective journey through Algeria. We follow Aube, who became mute at 5 years old after having her vocal cords lacerated following an attempted throat slitting, “in the name of God”, during the Algerian Civil War. The “black decade” (1992-2002) during which various Islamist groups opposed the national army – the toll fluctuated between 60,000 and 200,000 dead and thousands missing. Aube returns to the scene of the crime, in the north of the country, where her sister was raped and then murdered. In a haunted monologue, she speaks to her daughter, still in her womb. Does she want to abort or not? She still hesitates, or pretends to hesitate: she knows, in this patriarchal Algeria, the condition of a woman is a curse. “I save you from being born to prevent you from dying every moment. Because in this country, we are loved dumb and naked for the pleasure of men in heat. »
Prison sentence
In Oran, Aube ran a hairdressing salon, just opposite the mosque. At her house, women came to look beautiful and laugh, especially during the big Friday prayer, when they could escape the judgment of men and be able to take care of things other than their home or the kitchen.
So of course we can't take away Houris to be a great feminist novel, courageous, undoubtedly necessary. To the extent that Kamel Daoud is trying to break this collective and voluntary amnesia, since it is forbidden to talk about the Civil War in Algeria, according to an article of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation. Prison sentence for anyone who dares to use or exploit “the wounds of the national tragedy”.
And who better to talk about it? Daoud experienced this dark period up close. In 1994, at the age of 24, he entered the Oran Daily. He and his colleagues are responsible for ensuring “safe coverage” of events. Aube's trauma is certainly a bit like Daoud's.
“It would be an explosion”
Two weeks ago, Tahar Ben Jellounfriend of the writer and member of the Goncourt academy, gave some clues as to the reasons which would push the jurors of the most prestigious French prize to reward Houris. “If, indeed, Kamel Daoud has the prize, it would be an explosion,” declared Tahar Ben Jelloun at France Inter. To the extent that everything that Algeria, finally the generals, wanted to hide for the civil war, because it is forbidden to talk about this civil war, will be known to the whole world and through translations throughout the world. »
