There is a notable absentee from this year’s international book fair in Algiers — the work of French-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, who last week won France’s prestigious top literary prize.
His novel “Houris” centres on Algeria’s civil war between the government and Islamists in the 1990s — the North African country’s so-called “black decade”.
The book, written in French, is banned in Algeria, and Daoud’s publisher Gallimard was not allowed to display his works at the fair.
More than 1,000 publishers from 40 countries, including 290 from Algeria itself, are exhibiting at the 27th international book fair, which lasts until November 16.
Daoud used to work as a journalist and columnist in Algeria.
Gallimard was notified of the ban last month, when his book was already a favourite for the Goncourt prize in France.
Algeria bans any publications about the civil war that began after the government cancelled an election, sparking an armed uprising by fundamentalist guerilla groups. The violence claimed some 200,000 lives.
“Houris” — the title refers to beautiful, virginal companions for faithful Muslim men in paradise — tells the story of a young woman who loses her voice when an Islamist cuts her throat as she witnesses her family being massacred during the civil war.
She later shares her experiences with her unborn child through an internal monologue.
Despite being banned in Algeria, illicit copies of “Houris” are known to be widely available.
Authors, editors and visitors to the trade fair have remarked on the book’s absence.
– ‘A great writer’ –
Writer Samia Chabane, 64, told AFP at the fair she was “against the banning of any kind of book”.
“I prefer to let people make their own minds up after reading the book for themselves,” she said.
Chabane recently wrote her autobiography called “Tales from Algeria and Elsewhere: the Story of a Free Woman”.
She said that banning “Houris” in Algeria “takes us back hundreds of years”.
“It doesn’t give you the means to say ‘he’s right’ or ‘he is not right’,” she said.
Chabane said she had read every other work by Daoud — “a great writer” — but will not read “Houris” so as not “to relive the horrors of those bloody years”.
Another visitor, 63-year-old surgeon Makdoud Oulaid, said he had read the book.
He believes Daoud, who has been criticised in Algeria for his links to French President Emmanuel Macron, was awarded the Goncourt “for political reasons”, rather than for the quality of the work.
On November 1, Algeria marked the 70th anniversary of the launch of its war for independence from France in 1962.
Relations remain frosty after France in July gave its backing to Morocco’s plan for autonomy in the disputed Western Sahara, where Algiers backs the separatist Polisario Front movement.
– ‘Rules must be respected’ –
Algeria broke off ties with Morocco in 2021 after it normalised ties with Israel.
Algeria saw the French Western Sahara move as a betrayal, and recalled its ambassador from Paris, among other measures.
In recent years, Macron has made several gestures towards reconciliation while stopping short of issuing any apology for French imperialism.
Algerian editor Sofiane Hadjadj, 51, founded publisher Barzakh, which in 2013 published Daoud’s debut novel “The Meursault Investigation”.
This is a retelling of Albert Camus’s “The Stranger” from the opposite angle — for it Daoud won the First Novel category of the Goncourt prize.
Hadjadj said he preferred not to make any comment about the ban on “Houris”.
“This is an international book fair organised by the ministry of culture,” he told AFP.
“So there are certain rules that must be respected. There are laws that govern the publication of books. That is completely normal.”
Publisher Hassina Hadj Sahraoui, 62, said she regretted the fact that the book was not available in Algeria, as Daoud was “the first Algerian in history” to win the Goncourt, France’s top literary prize.
“We have Assia Djebar (who died in 2015) who won several prizes and was a member of the Academie Francaise,” she said.
“Now we have Kamel Daoud, who might succeed her some day.”
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